The Forgotten Potter
by njeha
Summary: Wrong BWL. FEM Potter. James and Lily Potter has given birth to twins. On that Halloween night, they mistake the real prophecy child, leading to years of abandonment; which ends up being the biggest mistake the light side have ever made. There will be crossovers with many different worlds. Dark FEM Potter. Powerful & Genius FEM Potter. MOD Potter. Warning: Very Extreme M rated.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N: Instead of Harry Potter being during the eighties, I will be having the twins birth be 1991, instead of 1981. I would like the story to be close to the 21** **st** **century instead of before the year 2000.**

 **Warning:** **This story includes torture, rape at an extremely young age, suicide, triggers of rape and pedophile. If you cannot stomach it then don't read. I do hope that you try to as I didn't include graphic rape and this story is filled with many twists and interesting events, also there is going to eb a lot of comedy and adventure.**

 **Enjoy reading my story! =)**

 **Chapter 1:**

Lilly Potter Née Evans was sitting in the drawing room, rubbing her heavily pregnant belly when the fireplace flashed green and her handsome husband Lord James Charlus Potter appeared. After James finished dusting the soot from his auror robes, he kissed his beautiful redheaded wife on the cheek and enquired how her day was.

"Ugh, I'm getting bored sitting here all day with nothing to do James," whined Lily as she continued to rub her belly in an affectionate manner.

"Lils, you're pregnant with _twins_. It's not safe for you to be walking around outside now that you're six months pregnant, and besides with the war going on –" said James frantically.

"I know, I know. It's safer for me and these two little ones," Lily soothed her husband. "I just cannot wait for those two to pop out yet."

James smiled, his eyes twinkled as he said, "Anyways Dumbledore said that he has got some new information about the war and he would like us to be in his office in around an hour."

"What?! You don't think something is wrong … Do you?" asked Lily worriedly.

"Don't get yourself too worked up about it Lils, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," James smiled.

It was very important for Lily not to get too stressed out with her pregnancy. Giving birth to one magical child was a feat and had to be dealt with extreme caution, but carrying twins to full term was extremely dangerous – for the babies and the carrier.

"Well did Dumbledore look worried or anything?" Lily pressed on.

James thought about it for a second before he replied, "He sent a patronus to work Lily."

An hour later, James held onto Lily tightly as they stood in the fireplace, threw some floo powder and yelled, "HOGWARTS, HEADMASTER'S OFFICE!" appearing in the familiar office. James steadied his wife carefully as they walked out of the fireplace and saw Albus with his grandfatherly smile beaming at them and their two friends, Lord Frank Longbottom and his wife who so happened to be Lily's best friend, Lady Alice Longbottom.

"Hey Lily," Alice chirped, getting up from her seat to hug her best friend before patting her own pregnant belly. "How are the twins holding up?"

"Good, except for the boredom. I can't wait to give birth to these two," Lily smiled fondly.

"That makes the two of us," James and Frank mumbled before cringing at the harsh glares from their pregnant wives. Albus' chuckle brought them back to the realization that they were meeting Albus Dumbledore for a reason and they all say down in their chairs respectively as they faced the Headmaster and the leader of The Order of the Phoenix, which was an organization created by Dumbledore to fight against Lord Voldemort and his followers who call themselves the Death Eaters.

"So Albus, why did you call for the four of us to come here? You can see that Lily and Alice are pregnant and it isn't safe for them to be outside our manors respectively," demanded Frank politely.

Albus cleared his throat before eyeing four of his favorite students who happened to be three of the best aurors and one of the best healers to have graduated from Hogwarts, before Lily and Alice had to take time off due to their pregnancies. "I have come across some new information that may or may not help end the war we are currently facing Frank. Now it may come across as good news or bad news to the four of you as it includes one of your families."

"Albus I am not in the mood for your damn riddles! What are you talking about?" demanded Lily fiercely as her emerald green eyes flared.

"Lily!" said James soothingly as he rubbed her shoulders to calm her down, before he looked apologetically at his previous Headmaster, "I'm sorry Albus, you'll have to excuse Lily, she is really hormonal right now and nearly anything sets her off."

Albus merely chuckled, waving his hand in a nonchalant manner, "No need to worry my dear boy. Now to get straight to the point; last night I went to the Hogs Head to meet with a lady who had applied for the position of the Divination Professor here at Hogwarts. Her name is Sybill Trelawney and she is the great-great granddaughter of the celebrated Seer Cassandra Trelawney who possessed the gift of first sight, and so naturally I thought it was fair to give her an audience, meeting her at the designated time and place she so desired. In all honesty, I was thinking of discontinuing the course here at Hogwarts, but I gave her the courtesy due to her ancestry and during the interview, I realized that Sybill displayed none of Cassandra's divinatory skills. After I courteously told her that she was not fit for the job, Sybill entered a real trance and spoke of a prophecy."

Lily and Alice had skeptical looks on their faces, they were not big fans of Divination and Seers, but even they knew that there were some real ones just as there were some frauds, and by the look on Albus Dumbledore's face, this Sybill Trelawney had actually made a true prophecy.

"What was it Albus?" James asked.

Albus withdrew a deep breath before recalling the prophecy word by word, " _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches … born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies … and the Dark Lord will mark the one as his equal, but the one will have power the Dark Lord knows not … the one shall have divine, powerful and deathly powers as a blessing … the one shall have great majestic powers that defies the laws of nature and magic … the one shall hold the greatest powers that have never been heard of or seen before … and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives … the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies …_ "

The Headmaster's office was silent, the Longbottoms and the Potters sat frozen as they stared at the leader of the light and even Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix was quiet, studying all their reactions.

"What exactly does this prophecy mean Albus?" Lily whispered.

"It means my dear, that the child born as the seventh month dies, meaning at the end of July, shall be the child of the prophecy," said Albus somberly.

"But we're having twins …" said James, unable to finish his sentence.

"Meaning, my dear boy, one of your children could be the prophecy child, or perhaps the Longbottom's son. Tell me James, Lily, do you know the gender of your twins?" Albus enquired.

"No, we wanted it to be a surprise," James replied.

"Now naturally, you have questions and from what I have deduced … these three children are born from two families that have defied Voldemort three times and from what I have found out, unfortunately, Alice and Lily are the only ones whose due dates happen to be at the end of July," said Albus with a regretful look on his old and wrinkled face.

Lily snorted in an unlady like manner before saying, "I'm a Muggleborn and he still tried to lure me to his side. Even though my blood is _dirty_ and _impure_ he still wanted me to join him and kill people like me."

"Yes well you are a powerful witch Lily and blood has no say," Albus smiled kindly.

"So I presume there is another reason besides informing us that one of our children could kill Voldemort," Frank stated; he was a very smart man with great observation skills.

Here Albus looked uncomfortable and his eyes dimmed, "Unfortunately, someone overheard part of the prophecy. My brother Aberforth discovered the eavesdropper and threw him out of his pub before the he could hear the full prophecy, but it does mean that it could have been a Death Eater and now Voldemort is in the know –"

"And could be looking to kill us," Alice finished for him with a look of horror on her face that was reflected in her husband's face as well as the Potters.

"Yes," Albus sighed. "Now Voldemort would not act rashly, he would let the information stew for a bit until the end of July and then he would study the child from afar before making his move, so you all have time but after you both have given birth I assume it would be best if you would all go into hiding."

"I don't mind taking leave from my job until Voldemort is dealt with, anything for my children," said James passionately. Frank agreed as well.

"Fabulous," Albus smiled, clapping his hands together once. "Now all that is left is for us to find a suitable Secret Keeper and move houses. The manor is too big for the Fidelius Charm to work."

At the end they agreed that the Potters would move to their small cottage in Godric's Hollow after the birth of their twins and the Longbottoms would move into one of their cottages in Devon's Bay. Since Charms was Lily's specialty she, with the help of Dumbledore would partake the charm with Sirius Black as the Potters secret keeper and Lily as the Longbottoms secret keeper.

Once the Potters and the Longbottoms departed from Albus' office via the fireplace, Albus Dumbledore sat in his majestic chair and pondered the prophecy, precisely the powers it spoke of.

Divine powers? Deathly powers? Powers that defy the laws of nature and magic? There are many things magic cannot do; such as conjuring food, money and gold; magic cannot bring the dead back to life; conjuration cannot last indefinitely; a witch or wizard cannot have more than one animagus and they cannot have a magical animagus form; a witch or wizard cannot defeat the killing curse unless they conjure something solid to block it; all in all, according to the prophecy, this child will have the ability to do all that and more.

This child _must_ be swayed their way and be taken under his wing into the light.

The only blessing Albus Dumbledore could say was that there were three possible children the prophecy spoke of and that all three of them are to be born from the lightest of families. But sill, it was imperative that this child be kept light and not swayed by the darkness and dark magic. This child must be molded, free to be manipulated by him otherwise the world would be in chaos and they would be faced with a much more evil than Lord Voldemort himself.

The child must be bound of its magic or killed after Voldemort is defeated; it is after all for the Greater Good.

In her perch, Fawkes the phoenix shot a disapproving and disappointed look at Albus Dumbledore. All the power, fame and glory had gotten into his head and his thoughts of backstabbing the Potters and Longbottoms and killing a powerful magical child, not to forget manipulating said child, was despicable.

Phoenixes are the greatest icons to the light and the fact that her bonded master was having such vile and manipulating thoughts went against everything phoenixes represented. This prophecy child was said to be divinely gifted, and to intervene in such a wondrous creation was folly.

Albus Dumbledore shall lead them to their doom and regret his actions one day; but unfortunately that day has yet to come and when it does Fawkes could not wait to see her master's downfall.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Chapter 2:**

The Potters and the Longbottoms relayed the prophecy to Sirius Black; James Potter's best friend and brother in all but blood and Remus Lupin, werewolf and close friend to James and Sirius, as well as Lily and the Longbottoms. They neglected to tell their other friend Peter Pettigrew since he was a very weak minded individual and they feared he would not be able to withhold torture for information.

James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew are known as the Marauders with a penchant for pranking and breaking the rules, and have been roommates and the best of friends ever since their first year at Hogwarts; since their first night when they were all sorted as Gryffindors.

After a year of noticing that Remus would be missing one night every month, coming up with the most ridiculous excuses, they found out about his lycanthropy and did the opposite of what Remus Lupin expected them to react. James, Sirius and Peter never stopped being his best friend, taking a step further in accomplishing becoming animagus by their fifth year in order to keep him company during the full moon, as werewolves do not harm animals and are immune to their bites.

James Potter was a stag and his marauder name was Prongs, Sirius Black was a black grim and his marauder name was Padfoot and Peter Pettigrew was a rat with the marauder name, Wormtail. Even though Remus Lupin could not become an animagus due to his lycanthropy, they dubbed him the marauder name, Moony.

On July 30th, Alice Longbottom and Lily Potter went into labor and were sent to St. Mungo's by their frantic husbands.

At 8 p.m., Neville Francis Longbottom was born.

Frank carried his newborn son to his friends James, Sirius and Remus and they admired the chubby little boy with tufts of blonde hair and soft brown eyes that he inherited from Alice. They named James Potter as godfather and Lily Potter as godmother, which reduced the hormonal and still heavily pregnant Lily to tears of joy.

The Potters were not as lucky and Lily's contractions were as slow as ever.

Lily Potter spent the night suffering from heavy contractions and the whole next day until July 31st at 11:55 p.m., Charlus James Potter was born followed by Odette Arielle Potter at 11:59 p.m., to everyone's greatest shock.

Odette was the first girl ever to be born into the Potter line, and a baffled James held his little daughter in his arms, completely mesmerized by her beauty.

James already knew that Odette Arielle Potter would be a heartbreaker; they christened her with the name Odette for two reasons: it has the meaning of fortunate heroine in Germany as well as the French baby name for Wealthy and seeing as she was the first girl Potter they deemed it appropriate.

The Longbottoms, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin crowded around Lily, who sat in her hospital bed holding baby Charlus in her arms and James, who sat by her side and was gently rocking baby Odette.

Charlus had jet black hair like his father and milky blue eyes that they instantly knew would become hazel in a few days – all in all, Charlus James Potter would be the spitting image of his father.

Frank, Alice, Sirius and Remus went to look at the baby in James' arms, expecting an identical boy to Charlus, but gasped when they saw it was in fact a little girl with ruby red hair – a mixture of Lily's auburn hair and James' jet black hair. Odette sensing all the attention was on her slowly opened her big, doe-like eyes and blinked repeatedly. All the occupants in the room gasped and cooed admiringly; it seemed that she had inherited her mother's gorgeous eye – for big, bright emerald green eyes was staring back at them.

"Prongs, this little girl is going to be a heartbreaker, I can tell you that, I don't envy you trying to get the males away from her," Sirius laughed as he punched James in the arm playfully.

"Well it seems that you are going to suffer with me in wrestling away all the boys from her, seeing as you're Odette's godfather, Padfoot" James smirked.

But instead of Sirius being disappointed, his smile grew wider and he beamed at his best friend and brother in all but blood as he grabbed Odette from her father and cooed at her, "She's a real beauty James and Lily, and I would be honored."

"Her name is Odette Arielle Potter and we would like Alice to be her godmother as well," Lily smiled brightly at Alice, who smiled back and fondly cooed at Odette from behind Sirius' back.

"Such a beautiful name for a beautiful girl," Alice cooed before looking at Frank and saying, "Next time, we're trying for a girl." Frank nodded immediately as he said, "Yes, Ally."

"As for this one here," Lily said as she pointed at Charlus, "WE would like Remus to be his godfather and Ally we would like you to be his godmother as well." Remus and Alice smiled and said that they would be honored to.

The next day, after Lily was released from St. Mungo's; there was a party held at Potter Manor for Neville, Charlus and Odette. The Tonks, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, the Weasleys and the Prewetts were all invited as well as Headmaster Dumbledore and Professors Minerva McGonagall and Filius Flitwick. Peter Pettigrew couldn't make it as his mother was sick again and he was tending to her needs.

Everyone cooed over the three newborns, especially over Odette since she was the first girl born into the Potter family.

"You are so lucky you have one of each gender Lily," Molly smiled warmly as she rocked Odette in her arms, "I do hope for a girl."

Lily smiled back affectionately as she said, "You never know Molly, maybe seven is the charm."

Suddenly, the fireplace flared green and Albus Dumbledore stepped out, beaming at the Potters and the Longbottoms. "Let me have a look at them my dears, see how strong their magic is."

Frank, Alice, James and Lily crowded around Dumbledore as he examined Neville first. He probed him lightly with Legilimency and then smiled at the Longbottoms before saying, "I see he has great magical power, he will grow up to be at the same level as you Frank, perhaps a tad bit stronger." Frank and Alice beamed before taking Neville from Albus, heading back to the party.

Lily handed Charlus to Albus; Albus probed him again with the same power as he did for Neville, not wanting to ruin the baby's fragile mind. Albus saw a silver light with a few white tendrils floating around. Albus beamed as he looked at James and Lily and said, "Charlus has great power but he is still young. He will grow to be a very powerful wizard, possibly mage level – I think that there is great possibility that he is the child of the prophecy, but let me see his twin and not get too hasty."

Lily hugged Charlus tightly to herself as she and James shared proud looks. James held his daughter out proudly to Dumbledore and tried with all his might not to laugh at the shocked look on the old man's face.

"It's a girl!" gasped Dumbledore.

"Yes it is. The first girl born into the Potter line," James beamed proudly after he had managed to stifle his laughter, "Our pride and joy."

Albus smiled fondly, he always had a weakness for little girls and he hoped beyond hope that she was not the prophecy child, seeing as he did not want to have to kill her.

For the third time, Albus Dumbledore probed Odette gently, but he saw nothing but black dust – he was met with a hollow emptiness and was baffled by the turn of events. Meanwhile, Odette was gurgling and wiggling frantically in his arms, a sure sign that she was about to cry – she did not like this old man; he gave her a bad vibe. But either Dumbledore did not notice, or he simply didn't care – he started to probe harder and was satisfied with victory when he saw a few tiny pink and yellow dots, before frowning at her low magical level.

James and Lily noticed the lines on Dumbledore's face and at that exact moment, Odette began wailing loudly at the top of her lungs, shocking James and Lily to the core – ever since she was born, she hadn't cried once and unlike her brother Charlus, she was a very quiet baby.

"What's wrong Albus?" James demanded as he took Odette back into her arms, holding her protectively in his arms.

To Albus, James and Lily's amazement, Odette abruptly stopped crying and started giggling as she poked her father's chin and tried to reach out for his glasses with her tiny, pudgy hands. Albus waved it off as her being a daddy's girl; after all, all babies loved him.

"I barely detected any magic in her, unfortunately. From what I have seen, Odette has a low magical core. Alas she could be a late bloomer, or there is a possibility that she gave most of her magic to her brother from inside the womb and would only gain a tiny smidge of magic over the years. Only time would tell, I'll have to keep examining her," said Albus somberly.

James and Lily were shocked and a tiny bit disappointed. Potters were a very powerful line and had produced many mages and sorcerers. But they held hope that she, unlike her brother would develop her magic as she grows. They thanked Albus and went back to the party, continuing the celebration for the three little babies.

After the party had ended and everyone went back to their respective homes, only Sirius and Remus stayed back in Potter Manor to discuss James and Lily's meeting with Albus. They informed their two best friends of what Albus said and although they were proud of Charlus' magic and aura, they were shocked at the news about Odette.

"It is a possibility that Odette transferred most of her magic to Charlus in your womb, Lily and that it would take time for her to gain her magic back," said Sirius as he stroked his thin mustache.

"Maybe this is magic's way of gifting Charlus as the prophecy child – he has his own plus his sister's magic," said James thoughtfully.

"That is a possibility, right now all we are doing is guesswork," Remus pointed out.

"Look whatever! No matter what, Odette is our baby as well as Charlus as we will love them equally," Lily said vehemently as she placed Odette in the crib besides Charlus.

"Hey don't look at me like that, I'm her godfather and I'm going to spoil her rotten no matter what," said Sirius as he put his hands up defensively. Remus nodded frantically in agreement in his place beside Sirius.

James smiled lovingly at his wife and then stood in front of the two cribs. He caressed Charlus' hair and then moved on to Odette. Her tiny plump lips were sticking out and her little tufts of ruby hair were shining in great contrast against her pale and soft skin. James stroked Odette's cheek lovingly and gently with his index finger; she was his little princess and he would be damned if he or anyone would treat his daughter differently, no matter what the outcome was.

It was unfortunate that all the occupants in the room's mind could be swayed so easily.

Two years from now, the four of them would definitely be eating their words.

Tides can change continuously like the sea after all, and magic, the spirits, death, the deities, the All and the powers-that-be were all frowning from their different positions in the heavens, underworld, planets, the void and many other places as they took a glimpse into the future.

 **A/N** **: What do you all think? I know it doesn't seem like much yet, but I'm just warming up for when the real action begins.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Chapter 3:**

Lord Voldemort, also known as Lord Slytherin and formerly known as Tom Marvolo Riddle, sat in his throne as he pondered the direction the war was going.

Voldemort was a charmer, very charismatic and an extremely handsome man; even now after finally securing his means for immortality – his many horcruxes, he was still handsome. The only changes on his perfectly sculptured face, was his eyes, which were now a ruby red. Voldemort looked no older than thirty, and after the making of his horcruxes, he made sure that he would always stay that way. He would let nothing deter him and his plans.

After Voldemort graduated from Hogwarts, he secured himself a job at Borgin and Burkes. He made good use of his natural charm and swayed the customers towards their direction, making good business for Borgin and Burkes. But after his last visit to Madam Hepzibah Smith, who had claimed to be the descendant of Helga Hufflepuff herself, the tides turned and it was clear to Voldemort that he needed to move on in his life and find out what else the magical world had to offer.

It all began when Hepzibah Smith called for her house elf Hokey to bring out her two most prized possessions in an effort to impress the young and handsome Tom Riddle. Hokey reappeared with two elegant boxes, and when Tom saw Helga Hufflepuff's cup and Salazar Slytherin's locket, he knew that he must have them.

Hepzibah made her second mistake that day by telling Tom the story of how she acquired Slytherin's locket from Burke; she told Tom that he gained it from a young, poor and disheveled pregnant woman that looked no older than her mid-twenties. Apparently the woman did not know what her own locket was worth and sold it for a measly ten galleons. Tom Riddle's green eyes gleamed red for a few seconds as he realized that the woman was his mother and that the locket in that fat lady's grubby hands belonged to him as the rightful Lord Slytherin.

Voldemort shook his head as he recalled how he politely took his leave and planned for Madam Hepzibah Smith's death.

He returned the next day and confounded poor Hokey into killing her Mistress. Hokey was later heard telling the ministry officials that she was very old and forgetful, claiming that she had accidentally mistaken the poison for sugar when preparing Hepzibah's cocoa. Voldemort smirked at how easy it was to obtain the two famous artifacts that were documented as lost throughout the centuries, and never having been suspected of her murder.

He quit Borgin and Burkes after that incident and started to travel around the world. He was a naturally curious boy and he wanted to know all the secrets of magic and all the forbidden spells, gifts and especially blood magic

After many years, he returned with a vast repertoire of spells and more knowledge of magic than he could ever hope for. He delved into the deepest depths of magic and lost himself for many days. He left Borgin and Burkes as Tom Marvolo Riddle and returned to Britain as Lord Voldemort. He gained his followers of Death Eaters and became their Dark Lord and a person that everyone in magical Britain feared of even speaking his name.

He planned to take over magical Britain and to cleanse it from the witches and wizards with impure blood and undeserving of their magic. He wanted to bring back the traditions long lost due to the arrivals and changes of the Muggleborns such as Samhain and Yule, instead of those ridiculous muggle holidays that Dumbledore and the ministry has forced all respected purebloods that still follows the Olden ways to endure, like Christmas and Halloween. Once he succeeded in taking over magical Britain, he would begin with his plans in taking over all of magical Europe and then move on to America, Russia and so on.

Voldemort shook himself from all his memories and his reminiscing as he thought back to the reason he was in deep thought.

His current predicament brought to him by his faithful follower, Severus Snape. In one hour Severus had succeeded in crashing all his hopes and dreams, crumbling them to ash. A prophecy child is to be born and could have the power to end his perfectly immortal life. He began pacing the throne room as he remembered that day over a year ago.

 _ **Flashback:**_

 _Lord Voldemort sat in his throne in the meeting room where his inner circle all sat with their hooded masks on. To his right sat Bellatrix Lestrange, as crazy as ever, but quite the ferocious witch with an excellent repertoire of the Dark Arts and the most loyal of all his followers. To her side was her husband Rodolphus Lestrange and his brother Rabastan Lestrange, both of them were as loyal as Bellatrix and very ruthless and fierce as well. To his left were Evans Rosier, Lucius Malfoy, Regulus Black and Antonin Dolohov._

 _They had finished a Death Eater meeting and the seven of them were the last to leave. Just as they were heading out the majestic door, Severus Snape came barging in looking extremely nervous and disheveled, wringing his wrists with many sheens of sweat filtering all over his forehead. The fool had even forgotten to don his mask on and he never showed up for the meeting._

" _You're late Sevvie, the meeting is over," Bellatrix cackled. "You dare show your face after your unjustified tardiness."_

 _But before Severus could answer, Voldemort interrupted, "That will do Bellatrix! I am the Dark Lord here and I will question whether his tardiness is to be justified or not! You may leave, all of you." The others winced at the tone in their Lord's voice and they all glared at Bellatrix for causing it, except for her husband of course who was far too used to Bellatrix and her ways._

 _As the door closed, Severus approached the Dark Lord and bowed down to his feet before kissing the hem of his robes and said, "I apologize my Lord but I was detained in Hogsmeade when I was spying on the old fool Dumbledore."_

 _Voldemort's wand hand was halfway lifted and the Cruciatus Curse was at the tip of his tongue, until he heard the reason for his delay. He thought that it would be in his best interest to find out what information Severus had without suffering from the after effects of the torture curse; Severus Snape after all was one of his most faithful servants and has proved his worth to the inner circle. "Speak of your findings then Severus."_

 _Severus shivered in his place and tried as much as he could to steady his trembling hands. The information he gathered from the old fool's meeting was sure to be rewarded by his Lord but he had not managed to retrieve the full prophecy and his hiding place was discovered and that could have him suffering from his Lord's wrath for his failure. He breathed in deeply and opened his mind to the Dark Lord._

 _Upon sensing his servant weakening his perfect Occlumency shields, he roughly delved in._

 _He found himself outside the door to one of the rooms in the Hog's Head, listening to boring and useless drivel for some worthless Seer inquiring for the Divination Professor position and just as Dumbledore refused her, his interest peaked when the Seer's voice deepened and convulsed as she spoke of a prophecy._

' _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches … born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies …' unfortunately, that was all he heard as Aberforth Dumbledore discovered him eavesdropping and threw him out of the pub._

 _Lord Voldemort violently yanked himself from Severus' mind and began seething._

 _Poor Severus Snape tried steadying himself from the onslaught of the Dark Lord ripping through his mind and forcefully exiting it and started to tremble again, as he waited out for his punishment for failing to discover the whole prophecy._

 _Voldemort on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to be alone and barked for Severus to get out and leave him be._

 _ **End of Flashback**_

Lord Voldemort decided that it was not worth his time at the moment and to forget about the prophecy until the end of July. It was pointless to start killing all the pregnant witches as the wizarding world was in great need for a magical boom of births.

Over a year later, however, after deducing and studying all aspects of who this child could be, he settled on the fact that it was either the Potters or the Longbottoms.

He found out that it was either the Potter twins or the Longbottom brat, who were only a day apart. Other than the fact that the three children were born at the end of July, in other words as the seventh month dies; the Potter and the Longbottoms has defied and escaped him personally three times each, which was quite a feat and earned his respect, even though one of them was a mudblood.

Lily Potter Née Evans was the exception in his opinion. The exception to the rule that all Muggleborns are weak with no ounce of magical power and knowledge. Oh, he knew that Severus and Lily were once best friends and grew up as neighbors, so he knew that she was the top five of her year with a remarkable talent in Potions, Arithmancy and Charms.

The only problem was, he did not know which of the three brats were the child the prophecy spoke of, and so he decided that he would kill all three of them, which was regrettably a waste as they came from powerful magical lines – but alas, he could not have anyone stand in his way for world domination and deter him in his rightful rule of the magical population all over the world.

Lord Voldemort was waiting for Severus Snape to arrive; he spoke to no one of the prophecy and forbade Severus in telling it to anyone, even those of his inner circle. Even his worthless spy Wormtail had no clue; his best friends deemed it best not to tell him anything due to him being weak minded. So, he could only relay his plans to Severus for now, and he had a mission to send him off to.

The doors opened, acknowledging that Severus had arrived and after the usual bowing down and kissing of his robes, he asked his follower to rise. "Severus, I have a mission for you – but first, we must speak of this prophecy."

"Yes, my Lord," said Severus respectfully.

"I have pondered over this _prophecy_ ," Voldemort sneered, "I didn't want to act rash and so, I decided to bid my time and let it play out. After all this waiting, I have come to the conclusion that it is either the Potter twins or the Longbottom brat."

After Severus heard that the Potters were to be targeted all he could hear resounding in his head was one word: _Lily_. Severus began to panic, but could not interrupt his Lord and decided to speak after being given permission.

"I want you to go to Dumbledore and ask for the Potions position and place yourself as a spy there, for me of course. I am sure the old, senile fool has hidden the Potters and Longbottoms and it is your mission to find out where they are residing, and what better place to be than under Dumbledore's own crooked nose," said Voldemort harshly.

"The old fool would never offer me the position, he knows I am a Death Eater," said Severus frantically.

"Come now Severus, you are smarter than that. You are a Slytherin after all. Feed him tales of fake remorse and how I am targeting the two light families, speak of your so called love to the Mudblood and how you want her safe and that you would turn spy for him," Voldemort grinned evilly.

"As you wish M'Lord, but may I ask you of something … if you would allow me this request," said Severus as he trembled at how daring he was being to venture for such a thing.

Voldemort narrowed his eyes at his follower, daring him to contradict him, " _You may_."

"Please spare Lily Potter. Kill the rest for all I care, but I still hold on to the sentiments of my once childhood friend –"Severus asked, but was interrupted by the Dark Lord, "You have found out about the prophecy and came to me immediately, of course you didn't hear the full prophecy but nevertheless you have done me great service, sol I shall grant you this request."

"Thank you my Lord, thank you," Severus rambled breathlessly as he bowed low and kissed the hem of his robes. "I shall ask for an audience with Dumbledore and seek for the Potions position."

"Yes, you may leave and see that you do not return without landing that job within Hogwarts," snapped Voldemort. He watched Severus Snape leave and cackled to himself; he would not spare the Mudblood, but sometimes he had to feed his followers with useless dribble and empty promises in order to succeed, and Severus would either accept the Mudblood's death or he would have to regrettably end his life.

Severus departed quickly, he apparated to Prince Manor and sent an owl to Dumbledore of a place and time to meet; he knew that the Dark Lord would not keep up his end of his bargain, he noticed the lies and empty promise in his expertly concealed words and Severus Snape now knew that he was to forsake the Dark side and do whatever he could to secure a position in Hogwarts and become a spy to the Light, all because of one Lily Evans now Lily Potter.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

Albus Dumbledore was shocked when an owl pecked on his window at his office in Hogwarts with a letter from Severus Snape. He had known that Severus had become a Death Eater during his sixth year, which was quite a shame as his talents for Potions and Mind Magic would have done a world of good for the light side, although the downside was that Severus Snape was not one to be easily manipulated by him.

His eyebrows rose as he read the contents of the letter and he abruptly stood, donned his travelling coat and apparated to Hogsmeade. He strode quickly along the narrow path, stopping at the edge in front of a tall cliff. He began his climb to the top and finally after fifteen minutes he reached its peak.

Standing directly in front of him was a frantic Severus Snape, pacing in wide circles and mumbling to himself. All in all, he looked as crazy as Bellatrix Lestrange was looking these days. Albus audibly cleared his throat and demanded in a cold, stern voice that sent chills down Severus' spine.

"Why have you asked me to meet you here of all places when you know that I have knowledge of you being a Death Eater?"

Severus slumped as he said, "Soon to be a defected Death Eater."

Albus' face was priceless as the shock was visible clearly on his face.

Severus explained to him that he was the eavesdropper in the Hog's Head and that he immediately hastened to his Lord and told him of the few lines he heard which pleased Dumbledore immensely that the whole prophecy was not overheard. Once Severus ended with the events of what happened that morning in the Dark Lord's chamber, Severus breathed in deeply and wringed his wrists, waiting for Dumbledore's reaction.

After a few minutes of silence, Dumbledore finally spoke up and asked, "So why are you coming to me? Why tell me all this when you are seeking for the Potions position?"

" _Lily!_ " Severus said desperately. "He told me that he would spare her life, but I do not believe him! I cannot live in a world where Lily is no more and I cannot follow a man that will have brought around her death."

"You do know that the prophecy does not refer to a woman. It speaks of a child born at the end of July," Albus said slowly trying to gauge what Severus' reaction would be.

"Yes but, he thinks it's one of her children! He intends to hunt them down, to kill them. Hide her, hide them all, the Longbottoms as well. I beg you," Severus pleaded.

"What will you give me in return, Severus?" asked Dumbledore; he kept his face impassive but inwardly he was smirking. A few well-chosen words and he would have backed Severus Snape in the corner and once the appropriate time has arrived, Dumbledore would have Severus give him a magical oath with no way out and a spy in the Dark Lord's inner circle.

"Anything," said Severus in a resigned tone.

"Very well, Severus. Go back, tell Voldemort that I have given you the position as Potions professor, term starts in a few months and you will start to get settled in. When the time is right I shall expect a vow from you," said Dumbledore strictly.

Severus nodded in resignation and apparated away.

Albus Dumbledore chuckled softly as he fished a lemon drop from his pocket and sucked on it. He did not expect this to happen when he woke up this morning, it was a quite the surprise but a pleasant surprise after all. A fantastic turn in events.

Severus Snape was a Slytherin with quite the affinity to mind magic, he could not be manipulated or steered his way, but he has his spy now and another follower inside Hogwarts under his nose. He may not be able to manipulate Severus, but he was his only chance of not being thrown into Azkaban and favors in the wizarding world were gold in his opinion.

Albus chuckled harshly before apparating to the gate of Hogwarts and made his way to his office with a new pep in his step and a gleeful look on his face.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Chapter 4:**

A year has passed since the birth of Charlus and Odette Potter, and a lot has changed.

James and Lily spent as much time as they could with Charlus and Odette. James kept flexible times in the Ministry as an auror and Lily decided to wait until the twins were at the age of two for her to go back to St. Mungo's and continue her profession as a healer.

Odette Arielle Potter proved them all right when she turned out to be daddy's little girl. Nothing calmed the female Potter Twin the most and made her beautiful rosy and plump lips break into the biggest smile when James Potter held her in his arms or appeared in her line of vision. Even though she loved her mother as well, the only person other than her dad with the ability to calm her down and drive her to fits of adorable and childish giggles was her godfather, Sirius Black. The Potter Manor lit up with the little girl's bubbly laughter and they were all mesmerized by the first female Potter ever born.

The only problem they experienced with the female Potter twin was when the presence of two specific wizards was known to be in her sights or near her in the manor.

Peter Pettigrew for one; when he saw her for the first time and Lily handed Odette to him, she wailed like a banshee, alerting all the occupants and paintings in the house of the disturbance. Odette didn't like the rat man, he bothered her immensely and his aura made her cringe. She felt dirty when she was held by him and it was a known fact, that when Peter visited the manor, to keep Odette as far away from him as possible.

Sirius was the only one that found the situation between Wormtail and his goddaughter to be hilarious and he would continuously joke that most girls are frightened by rats and she must have sensed that his animagus form was a rat.

The other wizard, whose presence disturbed Odette immensely as well, was none other than Albus Dumbledore. Since the twin's birth, Albus was a constant visitor once a month in order to check their magical signature and core, to see which one of the Potter twins was the foretold prophecy child.

The Potters were always equally delighted by Albus' visits and disappointed.

They were delighted because Albus sensed that Charlus would be of mage level. Even though his magical signature hasn't changed since the first time, there was still plenty of time for it to increase as he grew up.

They were equally disappointed because Albus couldn't sense any change in Odette's magical signature. It stayed ever the same, not increasing nor was it decreasing and it was a subject of great worrying for the Potters who feared that she wouldn't have enough magic to enter Hogwarts and be rendered a squib.

What the Potters did not know though, was that Odette hid her magic and aura whenever Albus Dumbledore was around as she did not like the old man nor did she trust him. Odette was already capable in stretching and containing her magic, that every time the old man would come and check on her and probe her mind, she would recoil and contain it into a tiny sphere the size of a needle prick and only let it out once he disappeared into green light.

When Charlus and Odette were five months old, Charlus was wiggling frantically for his Moony plushy, which was a stuffed grey wolf, gifted to him from his godfather Remus, and began to wail from his crib. Odette, who was cuddling to her Padfoot plushy, a gift from her godfather, was very content until she realized a spike in the air and saw her twin brother was very distressed, and when he started to cry she didn't want her parents to be disturbed.

You see, Odette was a very smart little girl ever since she was out of her mother's womb and for a five month old, she was very intelligent and observant; so she saw how tired her Mommy and Daddy were, so when Charlus started to cry for his wolf plushy, Odette reached out with her magic and levitated Moony to her brother, who immediately gurgled and halted in his crying.

James and Lily Potter were getting ready for bed when they head their son crying and after sighing heavily they went to the nursery just in time to see Moony getting levitated into Charlus' outstretched hands.

Immediately, all signs of drowsiness were gone only to be replaced by ecstatic delight as they rushed over to their baby boy, congratulating him with beaming smiles for his first sign of accidental magic and gushing over the fact that it was the youngest age ever recorded in the history of accidental magic.

Even though Charlus didn't know why his parents were hugging him and smiling, he preened smugly at the attention and lavished in it, while Odette watched sadly in her crib, her big doe emerald eyes watering with a few tears; she didn't know why her Mommy and Daddy weren't congratulating her for quieting her brother down and making the plushy zoom, and she was very upset about it as she snuggled to Padfoot and whimpered quietly, which went unnoticed by the three occupants of the room.

When the twins were five months old, Sirius Black announced that he was engaged. A week after the twins were born, Sirius had a mission in America and could only make it back to England to see his best friends and goddaughter and nephew on the weekends. During Sirius' time in America, he fell in love with the Heiress to the Warren Line, Angelica Katya Warren. The Warren family was a pureblooded and very ancient family dating back to the 1100s and very greatly respected around the world, especially in the United States.

Angelica made the decision to come back with her fiancée and live in England with him. She was a very beautiful woman, the same age as Sirius and the Potters, with wide baby blue eyes, strawberry blonde hair, high cheekbones, a petite nose, dimples and pouty lips with a beautiful hourglass figure.

Angelica's grandmother Katya, who she was named after, was a Bulgarian Veela and so she had some attributes passed down to her, including the ability to sense magical auras. Due to Angelica's gift, she got along splendidly with Odette and became known as the third person with the ability to calm Odette down and bring a smile to her face.

Charlus started becoming aware of all the attention given to Odette by their daddy, Padfoot and the blonde lady and he was green with envy. He would always smack Odette when no one was looking and took great pleasure in taking credit for all the accidental magic caused by Odette when no one was looking.

A year had passed, with no praise ever being given to Odette for her accidental magic.

In fact, Charlus had never had an accident yet and displayed no tendencies of being able to. Charlus would have been rendered a squib if it weren't for Albus Dumbledore probing his magical signature and Charlus taking credit for all the magic Odette caused.

Only Angelica knew, but she had known better that Dumbledore wouldn't believe her and she loved Sirius Black with all her heart, she was afraid that the Potters would hate her for siding with their daughter over their son. Lily Potter was already jealous because Odette instantly warmed up to Angelica and always demanded her attention over her own mother.

Angelica was a very smart woman, and she knew that even though Sirius Black was in love with her, he respected the opinion of the Potters who were his family as James took him in when he ran away from his ancestral home at the age of sixteen; and so, Angelica stayed quiet, keeping her thoughts to herself. But Angelica swore to herself that she would make little Odette feel special in her own way and she never failed to spend all her time with Odette when visiting the Potter Manor.

Angelica also decided that she would wait until her and Sirius was married for a couple of years, stabilized and had the utmost trust in each other before she revealed all she had witnessed and sensed between Charlus and Odette.

The Potters and the Longbottoms decided to celebrate Neville, Charlus and Odette's birthday on the same day since they were only a day apart. On July 30th, the two families invited their closest and most trusted friends for the celebrations, and Sirius took the opportunity to introduce his fiancé to all his friends.

Odette, being the smart girl she was, noticed that the attention was slightly more focused on Neville and Charlus and she didn't know why. Only Angelica noticed, and knew the reason to be because they believed her to be weak and an almost squib due to Albus' arrogance and the Potters faith in him.

Angelica knew that Odette Arielle Potter was not to be taken lightly and underestimated; she knew that Odette would be a force to reckon with. If only Angelica knew about the prophecy, she would have been able to set them all straight that Odette was the prophecy child before any mistakes were to happen that the light side would deeply come to regret.

Sirius was a very sharp, smart and observant man, and even though he was a Gryffindor, the sorting hat told him that he was a Slytherin through and through.

Sirius would notice the awestruck looks his fiancé would give Odette when no one was looking, he also saw the way Angelica would stifle her laughter whenever Albus tried peeking to check on Odette's magical signature, and he also noticed the way Angelica would shoot his goddaughter looks of pity and anger at the Potters.

So during the twins and Neville's birthday party, Sirius saw his fiancé glance at Odette, who was sitting alone and pouting at her brother and Neville and recognized that everyone was ignoring her. Sirius saw the recognition in her eyes, as well as a few tears that were beginning to form, and he was floundered that the one year old baby girl was able to recognize that everyone was barely paying her attention.

Sirius suddenly scooped his little princess into his arms, emitting a squeal of delight and the clapping of her chubby little hands as her cherubic face became void of any sadness and her doe-like eyes blinked away the beginning formation of tears.

The sound caused everyone to look at the pair and Sirius noticed the pride glinting in his fiancé's gorgeous baby blue eyes and the gob smacked and slightly guilty looks coming from James and Lily. While Lily stayed in her place next to Charlus and Alice, James instantly rushed over and cradled his daughter right in time, as the cakes came at the exact moment and little Odette Potter squealed happily in her daddy's arms.

Sirius strode over to his fiancé, placing his arm around her waist bringing her closer to him and inhaling her wonderful scent of strawberry and cream. He looked at the scene of the two happy families with their children; Frank had an arm around Alice with baby Neville in his mother's arms and Lily held onto Charlus while standing next to James who had Odette secured tightly in his arms. As Sirius looked at his goddaughter fondly, Odette looked up and her emerald eyes pierced him; Sirius could have sworn he saw gratitude in her eyes.

As Sirius and Angelica made their way to their house, Sirius was inwardly seething and made a vow to himself that he would do all he can to protect little Odette and intervene as much as he can. There was no way he would let her feel so lonely and eliminated due to the fact that she might be a squib.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

On October 23rd, Albus Dumbledore made his way over to the Potter Manor, where he made sure the Longbottoms, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin would be there for their crucial meeting.

Dumbledore arrived to see seven people sitting comfortably and was shocked to see that Sirius' fiancé, Angelica Warren was included in secret Order business.

Albus desperately wanted to say something unwelcome to her, but he knew that it was crucial not to anger the Heiress of the Warren family – it would do them no good if he alienated an important and powerful family into helping them with the war, and so he kept his mouth shut.

However, Albus Dumbledore was pleased to notice that he wasn't the only one greatly affected and angered with the Warren Heiress' inclusion in their secret meeting. Lily Potter was inwardly seething as well, her jaw clenched and her hands fisted so hard that there were small moon crescent marks impaled in her soft, pale skin from her nails.

Angelica narrowed her eyes discretely on the old codger. She never liked Albus Dumbledore, and she knew that she inherited that certain dislike from her father when he first met him in an ICW (International Confederation of Wizards) meeting five years ago. Angelica's father, Liam Warren, was the representative for the American Ministry of Magic to the ICW.

Albus Dumbledore may be an important war hero, figure of the light, and respected in many countries; America were no sheep and even though they acknowledged all his success, and at a time, deeply respected the old man, they did not like nor did they trust the old man for a few years now.

Angelica knew that he was a master of manipulation now in his old age and that the only reason he didn't tell her to sod off was because he was hoping for an alliance with her family, and a way to manipulate her into doing his bidding, which would also force her father into his pocket as well.

Angelica inwardly smirked; the old fool had it coming if he thought that the Warren's were easily manipulated. Once she married Sirius, she would make sure to remove him from under Dumbledore's grubby thumb, he would not gain the Black votes in the Wizengamot so easily and Angelica would make sure to open Sirius' eyes to Dumbledore's manipulation, arrogance and his godlike complex.

Albus Dumbledore strode over to them in an arrogant fashion, seating himself at the head of the table as he tried his best not to fidget under the intensity of Warren's glare. How someone with such clear baby blue, and soft eyes could darken into the color of the sea during a storm baffled him.

Albus cleared his throat and said with as much confidence he could muster, "Welcome children, I bring back terrible news. Alas, it seems that Voldemort has decided to act upon the prophecy and kill Neville, Charlus and Odette."

James, Lily, Frank, Alice, Sirius and Remus gasped. Angelica however, kept her composure, she was a brilliant politician taught by the best and her family consisted of many lawyers, "How do you know exactly? And how long have you known this?"

Albus inwardly seethed, this Warren bitch is turning out to be a big problem, "My dear Angelica –"

"I have not given you the permission to use my first name Headmaster. It is inappropriate etiquette to call a Lady by her christened name until given the rightful permission from said lady," Angelica snapped with her head held high.

Everyone else watched the verbal ping pong between these two influential people and Sirius could not help but feel pride at his fiancé right now, regardless the situation, and damn she sounded sexy as hell.

"Yes, of course, you have my sincerest apologies Lady Warren," said a seething Albus, though he managed to hide his cringe from everyone but Warren. "I have known for quite a while but I had to be positive and collaborate with my many spies. I believe it is time to have the Fidelius Charm made and the secret keeper should be picked by tomorrow."

"About that," said Sirius hesitantly. "I don't think it is a great idea for me to be the secret keeper." Sirius lifted his hand up as he saw that James was about to interrupt, "Here me out please. I am the obvious choice, everyone will know that I would be your secret keeper, and so why not have a decoy. Tell everyone that I am the secret keeper but have Wormtail be the actual one."

"Peter?" Lily shrieked in shock as everyone stared at Sirius confounded except for James and Angelica.

James smirked maliciously, the regular glint that was usual associated with a prank being made appearing in his hazel eyes, "Padfoot old friend, I am in total agreement." He then looked at his wife and said, "Think about it Lils, no one would expect Peter to be our secret keeper. Peter would go into hiding and Sirius would continue with his everyday life as an auror."

"I would never crack under the Cruciatus Curse, god knows I'm practically immune from it due to _mother dearest_ ," spat Sirius as Angelica held his hand tightly to show him her love and support, which Sirius greatly appreciated.

"Also, Voldemort and his merry followers would never dare to go an inch near a Warren witch and since Sirius is my fiancé now, it would be dangerous territory for them to attack him," Angelica smirked smugly. Everyone else in the room shared mirroring smirks except for Dumbledore and Lily.

Albus was actually surprised at the teamwork between Sirius and Angelica, it would not do for Sirius to marry a Warren; he was positive that he would now lose Black and his votes if they were to wed. Albus chastised himself, for now was not the time; he would deal with this problem first before he moves on with his plans to keep Black under his manipulation and Warren's thoughts to herself.

The next day, they placed the charm on the Longbottoms cottage in Devon Bay with Lily as the secret keeper and then moved onto Godric's Hollow with Peter Pettigrew as their secret keeper.

The Longbottoms and the Potters settled in nicely as Sirius and Angelica went back to their regular everyday life and with the planning of their wedding.

Peter Pettigrew on the other hand smirked evilly to himself as he bowed down to the Dark Lord, kissed his hem and spoke up in a quivering voice, "It is done my Lord, they have named me their secret keeper."

Lord Voldemort laughed cruelly as his voice reverberated around the empty room, causing the hair on Wormtail's back to stick out.

Yes, by the end of the week the Potters and the Longbottoms shall die and their brats shall be gone with no one left but Dumbledore to stop him from taking over the Wizarding world.

 **A/N:** **What do you all think of this chapter? Did you all like the new OC I brought in? How did you like Angelica Katya Warren?**

 **Sirius Black is one of my favorite characters, and I always despised how morbid his life was after the Potter's death. They always showed him to be rash; I actually see him as a Slytherin with Gryffindor tendencies and an extremely smart wizard. So here I introduced him to a different life with a strong, beautiful pureblooded witch from an extremely powerful American family that wouldn't bend easily to the British Ministry of Magic and their underhanded ways.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **This chapter includes Regulus. I know that J.K Rowling had the events of Regulus' death happen maybe around a year before Voldemort went to kill the Potters; I can't remember the date exactly. This is my fanfiction and so I am having the events leading to his death happen a day after the Potters went into hiding. Enjoy! :D**

 **Chapter 5:**

Eighteen year old Regulus Arcturus Black sat in his neatly arranged and dirt-free room in Grimmauld place, thinking about his past choices and mistakes and what he has to do.

He remembered how naïve he was during his youth, and how eager he was in taking the Dark Mark, serving the Dark Lord Voldemort, preaching his parent's beliefs of blood purity and the Dark Lord's plans for the future and rewarding his faithful followers with all the power in the world and becoming equals in his new rule.

Yes, when Regulus thought about his greatest mistake in life, it was the moment he stood in front of the Dark Lord and took the Dark Mark.

Regulus lifted his sleeve and stared at the gruesome abomination that he allowed to be carved permanently into his flawless pale skin.

How he wished he listened more to his older brother of two years, Sirius Orion Black, instead of his crazy mother Walburga and deranged cousin Bellatrix. Regulus was shocked to his core when Bellatrix and her husband Rodolphus Lestrange announced of their upcoming pregnancy; he didn't think that Bella had a maternal bone in her body or the patience for it.

Regulus clearly remembered how his unyielding faith in the Dark Lord and his empty promises of power and respect all came crashing down a year ago.

Regulus was after all a very curious and studious boy; he still remembered how much he argued with the Sorting Hat, who wanted to place him in Ravenclaw, but his fear of not following in the footsteps of all the Blacks except for his brother, pushed him into arguing to be sorted into Slytherin. Naturally, with the amount of curiosity residing in Regulus and the thirst for knowledge, he started looking into the Dark Lord's past and after six months of fruitful and tiring research, he hit gold.

It turned out, that the Dark Lord wasn't even a Pureblood, as he would have liked all of magical Britain and his Death Eaters to believe.

His talk of pureblood supremacy was a complete and utter farce.

Lord Voldemort was an anagram, cleverly crafted from his true name: Tom Marvolo Riddle. The Dark Lord was the son of a muggle and a squib mother from the family of Gaunt who were obsessed with keeping their blood pure to the point of incest between siblings, which ended up being a disgrace to all purebloods as they ended up living in squalor in a dingy little hut.

While searching for as much information that he could about the Dark Lord, Regulus noticed that the Dark Lord's face was never changing and when compared to the young Tom Riddle from his picture at Hogwarts, the only difference was his eye color. While Tom had light green eyes, the Dark Lord's eye was of the deepest and murkiest red; this struck Regulus as unnatural, after all the Dark Lord wasn't a metamorphmagus.

Regulus also remembered the amount of time the Dark Lord boasted about how he had gone further than anybody to the path of immortality and of how he had many securities tying him to the world. As a proud member of the Black family, Regulus was naturally versed in dark magic, blood magic, vile magic and even spells and rituals unknown to many witches and wizards throughout the world.

Orion and Walburga Black taught their two sons Sirius Orion Black and Regulus Arcturus Black all they knew about dark and blood magic, rituals and potions during their youth, and before entering Hogwarts, they made sure that their two sons managed to read each and every single one of the books that were lying about in the Black Library. Even though his brother was in the light side and disapproved of all things dark magic, Sirius was well-versed in it but kept it locked away except in his moments of need during auror duty.

The answer revealed itself to him one day and Regulus felt bile rising in his throat as he read the one word: _Horcruxes_. The nature and concept of Horcruxes were so terrifying that it was kept secret from, most of the wizarding world, except for the vast Black library.

A Horcrux was one of the darkest arts in existence that even his cousin Bellatrix wouldn't dare to attempt, even for the Dark Lord, as it involved the splitting of one's soul. Knowing the Dark Lord, Regulus was sure that his goal would be to create seven as it is the most powerful magical number.

After finding out this information, Regulus realized that he was following an abomination and he has regretted his initiation to becoming a Death Eater ever since.

With the information that the Dark Lord couldn't be killed with his Horcruxes hidden and scattered all over the world, Regulus made it his priority to destroy them since he couldn't defect. One cannot escape being a Death Eater, it was either servitude until death or risk defecting and be killed, and here lay Regulus' conundrum.

Regulus didn't want to put his mother and brother, who he found out through the grapevine was engaged to the Heiress of the Warrens in danger. Regulus knew that if he went to his older brother for help, that Sirius would drop everything to help his little brother, even though they hadn't spoken for six year and was a known Death Eater. So, Regulus shouldered this huge burden on his shoulders alone.

Regulus recalled how he how found out about one of the Horcruxes due to his faithful elf Kreacher.

A few months ago, the Dark Lord required an elf and Regulus, wanting to be on the Lord's good side in order to gather more information, offered him Kreacher. He ordered for Kreacher to come back once done with the Dark Lord's request and after several hours of waiting, his elf popped into his room looking ragged and worse for wear. Kreacher was shivering and sick and after Regulus took care of him and brought him back to health, he ordered Kreacher to tell him everything that occurred.

Regulus clenched his fists at the fact that the Dark Lord left his beloved elf to die in his childhood cave without a worry in the world. The Dark Lord was a monster, throwing away Kreacher like garbage once he was of no use. But then again, he was astounded by the Dark Lord's arrogance in thinking that he was superior to all creatures. The Dark Lord would never understand that magical creatures have their own sets of powers and brand of magic, and couldn't fathom the fact that Kreacher had his own ways of getting out of the sticky situation he was left in.

Regulus understood though that the Dark Lord wanted no survivors, he didn't want anyone knowing what he carefully placed in that cave and that is why his arrogance shall lead to his destruction.

Regulus sighed as he carded his hands through his hair and he stood up to face the mirror.

Regulus Black was a very handsome man with his aristocratic looks; he looked like the exact replica of his brother except for the fact that he was thinner, smaller and with turquoise eyes instead of his brother's stormy and expressive grey.

It was time.

"Kreacher!" Regulus yelled.

Kreacher popped in front of his master, "Master Regulus?"

Regulus knelt in front of the last person he would ever see and said in a soft, yet demanding tone, "I want you to take me to the cave the Dark Lord took you to."

Kreacher nodded frantically, eager to please his master and do his bidding.

He grabbed Regulus' hand and popped him directly in front of the cave.

Regulus placed a few drops of blood at the entrance just like Kreacher had instructed him, and then upon entrance into the cave, he stretched his magic and pulled as a boat appeared from amidst the murky water. As they set sail to the tiny island at the far end, Regulus looked at his surroundings, finding it to be a dark, gloomy and depressing cave.

Once they landed at the edge of the island, Regulus and Kreacher hopped out and stood in front of the basin which was glowing an emerald green hue. Regulus conjured up a silver goblet and Kreacher lifted his hand expectedly to take it.

Regulus shook his head and knelt down to Kreacher's height. "No Kreacher, I am going to be the one to drink the potion," Kreacher shook his head desperately, but before he could speak, Regulus lifted a hand up, effectively stopping him from arguing with him. He put his hand into one of his pockets and took out a golden locket the size of a chicken egg, with the letter S; it was a replicate of the locket that Kreacher had described to him that the Dark Lord placed inside the basin.

"I want you to take this locket Kreacher, and once I am done drinking the entire potion, I want you to replace the real one with the fake one in your hand. You are then to," Regulus choked a bit, desperately trying not to tear up, especially at the solemn and desperate face Kreacher was giving him, as he silently and frantically shook his head, "you are then to go back to Grimmauld place and destroy the real locket."

"Master –" Kreacher pleaded.

"This is an order Kreacher," said Regulus in a strict yet fond voice, filled with kindness he had always reserved for the elf that took care of him during his childhood and adolescent.

Regulus knew that he could leave with Kreacher and the real locket and live to fight a new day, but Regulus could not stomach anymore muggle and Muggleborn killing, Regulus was not about to join the mass manipulating fool Dumbledore who changed so much since his first year, and spy for the Dark Lord. Regulus wasn't about to place his faith in staying out of Azkaban in Dumbledore. Leaving with Kreacher would lead to imprisonment or death anyways and he was here to atone for all the mistakes he had made.

From Kreacher's description, he knew the potion to be the Drink of Despair. The Drink of Despair induces fear, delirium, intense stomach pain and extreme thirst in the drinker. It was a very difficult potion to make, passing NEWT level and so he knew that Severus was the one who had made it for the Dark Lord for the purpose of hiding one of his Horcruxes.

Regulus dipped the silver goblet into the basin and filled it up with a good amount of the potion.

Ignoring Kreacher's muffled sobs, Regulus spoke for the last time, "You are to tell nobody what happened to me, understood?" Kreacher hugged Regulus tightly around his knee and nodded his head in submission; there was nothing he could do as his master forbade him from trying to save him.

"You are a great elf Kreacher. Do me one last favor, please treat Sirius and his family well for me," Regulus said softly and with one last smile, he chugged the potion in one huge gulp.

His stomach started churning and he felt a few painful stabs, but he didn't pause as he immediately dipped the goblet into the basin and drank. Four more times he repeated his actions before he started hallucinating and yelling. He started to recall his initiation and his arguments with his brother.

Kreacher hated himself for doing this, but his master ordered him to, and so he kept refilling the goblet and forcing the cursed potion into his master's mouth, ignoring his pleading not to.

Regulus started remembering the last time his brother spoke to him, which was coincidentally after he took his mark. He recalled the horrible things he said to Sirius and the last thing he saw was the look of extreme disgust and contempt on Sirius' face when he realized that his little brother was a Death Eater.

Regulus suddenly felt thirsty as he slumped down the cave floor and dragged himself to the lake, desperate for a few drops of water.

Kreacher switched the lockets and saw as his kind and brave master was dragged away by the inferi, and pulled down into the depths of the murky water. Kreacher stared at the empty cave for a minute with a horrified expression etched on his old and wrinkly face before apparating back to Grimmauld place. He went into his tiny cupboard, hid the locket under the sheets and sobbed his heart out at the loss of his master.

Regulus' tried to escape from the clutches of the inferi, before remembering that he was supposed to die as there was no other way.

His last thought was of his brother Sirius, how he hoped he would be missed by him and that he would have a wonderful life with Warren, before everything went dark.

***THE FORBIDDEN POTTER***

Hela Lokidottir sat on her throne as she jammed her head up and down with the beat of the song she was listening through her earphones.

Unlike the Asgardians, Hela loved Midgardian technology and found them to be fascinating and extremely enjoyable.

On her plasma TV, there was Gilmore Girls playing while two of her favorite demons were laughing at something Rory did. Hela enjoyed the immortal life her grandfather King Odin sent her to as Goddess of Death and Queen and ruler of Niflheim, but the only thing she hated was how little she could see her father Loki Odinson Prince of Asgard and her brothers Fenrir, Jormungand and Sleipnir.

But right now Hela was waiting for the soul her future Mistress wanted her to save.

Just as she was getting a tad bit impatient, a figure of a man appeared in front of her looking healthy yet a bit pale and dry as opposed to the horrible death he had suffered through while he was drowning in that inferi infested lake.

Hela shuddered at that.

Regulus looked around slowly as he inspected the place he was in. He saw two men with runes etched on their faces and yellowing teeth laughing at a muggle contraption in the form of a box with moving pictures, and in front of him stood a figure dressed in a hooded black cloak that covered its face, yet he could see clearly the muggle fabric he knew to be a jeans miniskirt and green t-shirt that told him that the person was female.

Slowly the female let down her hood so that he could see her face clearly.

She looked to be eighteen years old, but what was so odd about her appearance, was that one half of her was extremely beautiful with jet black hair, a bright green eye and healthy smooth skin, yet the other half of her body was decayed with a bit of skeleton showing, some rotten flesh and the other eye was empty showing a deep black hole where the eye should have been. The other side of her lips showed the deep gorges of teeth which should have been covered with skin. Also, the flesh of her nose was a bit gone, leaving the boy tip visible.

"Crokun, Gunju, turn the TV off and leave us be," demanded the female

The two men bowed down and croaked, "Yes my Lady," before turning the box contraption off and retreating, the wide and tall golden ornate doors closing behind them.

The lady turned to face him and smiled brightly. "Hello Regulus Arcturus Black, my name is Hela Lokidottir, but you can call me Hela. I am the Goddess of Death and Queen and ruler of this realm, Niflheim."

Regulus stared at her dumbstruck. He was under the impression that this realm and by extension, herself, was all a myth. He cleared his throat and said, "So you are to send me to the afterlife then?"

Hela smirked and vaguely said, "Yes, and no."

"What do you mean? I died," said Regulus in confusion.

"Yes, you did, but as I am the Goddess of Death, it is up to me and someone of higher importance whether to send you off into the afterlife and my future Mistress – who is the one of higher importance that I spoke of, has asked me to send you back to the land of the living," said Hela, a smirk still plastered on her face. Hela was obviously enjoying Regulus' confusion.

"I d-d-don't understand my Lady, what do you mean by Mistress?" asked Regulus.

Hela offered him a seat and said, "You see young one, I am Death and I answer to no one but my Mistress, who so happens to be the Mistress of Death. In the future, she spoke to me, asking me to save you when you enter my realm. My Mistress is very invested in seeing you alive as you mean a great deal to her somehow."

"Who is your Mistress?" asked Regulus, his cursed curiosity getting the best of him despite the situation he was in.

"You may know of her, but you have never met. My Mistress is still a youngling so she never knew you, but apparently in the future she knows of you and has made it my utter priority to not let you move on," said Hela brightly, before she suddenly turned serious, her one eye piercing him. "Now, I have come to the conclusion that you went to that cave with every intention of dying. You are stupid you know? You have family and loved ones and if you just went to them with your problems, you could have survived and lived happily with them," Hela put a hand up, cutting him off from interrupting her. "You don't want anyone in danger I understand, yet magical Britain is already in danger. Your older brother, Sirius is an auror; he faces Death Eaters nearly every single day and already is in Voldemort's shit list."

The way Hela spat the Dark Lord's name showed Regulus that she wasn't a great fan of his and he couldn't help but chuckle. "You're not a fan of the Dark Lord, are you?"

"No," said Hela in an icy tone, causing the temperature in the room to lower drastically. "That bastard split his fucking soul in his attempt to avoid me! I collect souls, so as you can see, Voldemort evading death has greatly pissed me off. Though, I applaud your actions in trying to retrieve one part of it, and you have my sincerest gratitude for trying to destroy it."

Regulus blushed, "Your welcome, my Lady."

Hela looked at him amused before she said, "Now back to business Regulus. My Mistress has offered you a choice, but it is up to you; either I send your soul on to Valhalla, which is where the heroes and brave of heart dwells after death or you can go back to Midgard. Do not misunderstand me though; you will not be going back to magical Britain, my Mistress has another place in mind for you and if you desire to go back then, know that you shall one day be reunited with your family. So what say you?"

Regulus was stumped, whoever this Mistress of Death was, she was clearly someone of importance to him in the future. He decided to die because he saw no escape from his life of servitude, and it was the only way of redeeming himself for his mistakes and past sins, but this Mistress of Death and Hela were offering him another way out, a way where he would one day be reunited with his family – with Sirius.

Regulus knew what his answer would be and so he looked at Hela and said with conviction, "I accept your offer. I want to go back."

Hela flashed him a bright smile, showing pearly white teeth, "I was hoping for you to choose that option. Now when you're back in Midgard there shall be someone waiting for you to give you instructions." Hela strode up slowly to Regulus, motioning for him to get up and said, "This may be a tad bit uncomfortable," and before Regulus could say another word, Hela placed both hands over his chest and pushed hard, causing him to fall backwards through thin air and with a flash of bright white light, Regulus Black disappeared from Niflheim.

Hela giggled as she went back to sit on her throne, putting her earphones back into her ear, she said to herself, "I like him. Till we meet again, Regulus Arcturus Black."

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

Regulus Black staggered as he tried to keep his balance, before he finally succeeded in standing straight on his own two feet and looked at his surroundings. He gaped as he found himself upon a lavishly decorated hall with crystal chandeliers and antique paintings and furniture.

Each step made by Regulus echoed loudly in the seemingly empty manor and he walked stealthily until he reached what looked to be the drawing room.

He heard the musical thrill of a bird, one that sounded suspiciously like a phoenix. Regulus froze thinking that the owners of this house would think he barged in uninvited and only wizards and witches of pure heart or from the light has a phoenix as a familiar.

Where in god's name did Lady Hela drop me?

Regulus felt a presence behind him and quickly turned around, only to drop his wand and gape at the magnificent sight in front of him.

It was a phoenix! Not just any phoenix, and not any phoenix, but a Daemonion phoenix.

A Daemonion phoenix was said to be a myth, tales spoken to frighten children of its existence. It was said that a Daemonion phoenix was last sighted by Merlin himself, but that was a myth too; and here stood Regulus Black staring a myth right in the face.

The phoenix was fully black, with a grey outline and hues of silver and gold surrounding it causing a glow, and shadows emanating its contours as if it were a spirit or a fog. Its eyes were bright silver, emanating power and death, as if staring right at his soul, but Regulus for the life of him, couldn't break eye contact.

It was said that the Daemonion phoenix traveled amongst spirits and demons; it could only be the familiar of one that was truly evil and one that carries too much darkness. But that was a myth as well, since Merlin was one of the greatest and pure wizards to have ever walked on earth. Also, a phoenix was a creature of hope, light and good and so therein laid the contradiction.

The Daemonion phoenix trilled a musical note again before it transformed slowly in slow motion, and right before his eyes into a beautiful, regal-looking woman.

She had black hair resembling her color in phoenix form, with gold highlights, and silver eyes that so resembled its phoenix form, and a round face with a sharp aquiline nose. She was dressed in black robes that looked like they were made of the shadows themselves. The Lady raised an eyebrow seemingly amused at the expression on Regulus' face, giving him a soft, friendly smile, showing that she bore him no harm. "Hello, Regulus Arcturus Black."

When Regulus was still unable to form a word or any thoughts, a tinkling laugh that sounded like her phoenix thrill, escaped through her silver lips as she said, "Come now, where is that curiosity I have heard so much about?"

Regulus bent down in order that he could pick up his wand and said slowly, "Who-who are you? How is this possible, you're a Daemonion phoenix, it is said to be nothing but a myth."

"Yes, just like Lady Hela was supposed to be a myth, hmm?" stumping Regulus further. "And I suppose it is also said that a phoenix, which is known to be a creature of the light, yet I travel amongst spirits and demons which is anything but light," scoffed the Lady. "You may call me Divus. It is the name my Mistress christened me with; ironically it means god, deity and spirit in Latin."

"Yes, very, uh, very ironic – Divus?" said Regulus unsure if he could call such a highly powerful and regarded creature by her given name by someone equally as powerful. However, Divus nodded approvingly. "Your Mistress?"

"Another myth I'm sure you heard of – The Phoenix Queen," Divus said bluntly and was rewarded with Regulus almost dropping his wand again due to his second, or was it his third shock of the day?

"I must be hallucinating. First I die, only to be saved by Hela who I thought was a myth, _in a realm_ where I was sure was a myth. Now I see a Daemonion phoenix that has a Mistress which is the famous myth of all myths, The Phoenix Queen," Regulus ranted breathlessly as Divus watched, amused by his theatrics. Regulus looked up sharply and said, "Let me guess, the Mistress of Death is the Phoenix Queen as well… am I correct?"

"You assumed correctly, bravo Mr. Black," Divus squealed, clapped her hands vigorously like a child would do. "My Queen was right; you are quite the smart one."

"Lady Hela told me that we've never met," Regulus said blandly.

"She's obviously heard a lot about you young one, otherwise she wouldn't have went through all of this trouble to save your soul," said Divus sarcastically. "Now onto business dear, you obviously cannot return to Britain at the current moment. You are in New York City, America and there is a lovely wizarding district nearby that goes by the name, Liberty Lane, as I'm sure you know?" Regulus nodded. "My Queen has set aside funds for you in the American branch of Gringotts under your name, so there is no need for aliases, and the money shall last you more than a lifetime should you decide not to have a career. Also, you are cleared of all charges and regarded as an innocent citizen in America, however my Queen has placed a spell that makes it impossible for anyone to recognize you from your previous life so you are able to work in the American Ministry should you so desire."

Regulus slumped down into a royal blue armchair with gold linings, as he croaked weakly, "Why? Why would she do all this for someone like me? A murderer."

Divus smiled sadly at him, "You don't deserve death my dear, you were misguided at such a young age and you picked the easiest way out. My Queen has no desire for you to rot in that inferi infested lake. Let me continue and you may ask any questions you have afterwards."

Regulus nodded and sat up straight.

"This manor belongs to you – believe me, my Queen has many riches and no shortage of money, all that she has done for you has not even made a tiny amount of dent in her bank account. That wonderful and quite informative tapestry sitting in Grimmauld place that shows how the family fares; under your name, the date of death clearly states that you have died today. You are still dead in magical Britain; the only records that says you are still alive and kicking as the yanks say, is with the goblins, and the goblins have sworn a goblin oath with my Queen to not let the information be passed on to anyone, even the Lord Black, until she so deems it fit to be. That is all I have to say my dear, speak if you wish."

"How did your Queen succeed in doing all this?" asked Regulus curiously. "Goblins do not take a goblin oath lightly, they despise all wizarding folk."

Divus smirked as if she knew something he didn't. "My Queen said that you would inevitably ask me this. She is The Phoenix Queen and the Mistress of Death, but she is also much more, oh so much more. My Queen has many other titles and plenty other gifts that I cannot inform you off at the current time. Of one of the gifts she has inherited, was the gift of time – with no use of gadgets and gizmos such as a time turner. It runs through her veins just like magic courses through yours, and so after speaking with Lady Hela, she passed the information to her past self and then sent me through a portal of time to you."

"Will I ever meet her? I must express to her my sincerest gratitude," said Regulus sincerely, his eyes shone with so much gratitude as he spoke.

"You shall young one, but not for a long time. You have more than a decade before she will make her presence known to you since she is naught but a toddler right about now and has no idea what we are speaking of or her titles," Divus laughed, before her tone changed to one of betterment and disgust – such a contrast to her bubbly look and voice, "She is alone, scorned by her so-called family, being mistreated and abandoned. You may think she is evil because of my phoenix form, but do not misunderstand, after all, most myths are notorious at being incorrect. My Queen is dark with a pure heart; however she can have malicious and evil intents to some with equal intents, and sometimes the life of other mortals mean nothing to her."

Regulus nodded solemnly as he said, "I think I understand. I cannot wait to meet her then."

"And so you shall Regulus Arcturus Black. I shall be taking my leave, but let me leave you with one last message verbatim from my Queen," Divus said as she turned back to look at him abruptly and said in a serious tone, "Live life to its fullest, have fun, and never think of the magical war in Britain. Go out and start a life for yourself, get married and have many children, do not let your past affect your present or your future, for I have given you another chance at life and happiness."

Regulus, for the first time since resigning himself to death, smiled widely, thanking whatever deities for sending this angel who saved his life and said with conviction, "I will. I promise, I'm sure by the time she comes to visit me that I will be having quite a few children running around the manor."

Divus smiled approvingly, "Don't waste it; after all, second chances are hard to come by."

Suddenly Divus transformed back into her Daemonion phoenix form and with a last trill of music, flashed away in a huge orb of shadows.

Regulus Black looked around the house as he started to make plans of how to start the first day of his second life. He trudged up to the master suite, tucked himself in bed and slept. His dreams were filled with future jobs, a wife and children and the mysterious, faceless Mistress of Death and Phoenix Queen that saved his life, giving him the second chance he never thought he deserved.

Over in Grimmauld place, Walburga Black called out for her favorite son Regulus.

After finishing her breakfast, she called for Regulus again as she strode into the drawing room, and just as she was about to ask Kreacher where her youngest son was, she saw the tapestry and screeched so loudly that the people on the street would have been able to hear if it wasn't for the magical wards protecting number 12.

Walburga Black keeled over on the floor and died immediately from a heart attack.

It was ironic that the biggest believer in pureblood supremacy died from a muggle's disease. The last thing Walburga Black saw before her untimely death was the image of her handsome son, underneath it in cursive writing was date of death: 25/11/92.

 **A/N:** **Did anyone see this coming? I just couldn't bear to kill off Regulus as well. He was such a misunderstood character, and I hated the fact that in order to redeem himself, he had to die.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Chapter 6:**

 **October 31** **st** **, 1992, Halloween night,**

Lord Voldemort sat on his throne in the throne chamber as all his Death Eaters gathered around him, bowing down in respect.

Tonight was the night he was going to eliminate the three prophecy children once and for all; he would go attack the Potters first, killing the Mudblood whore as well since the sniveling coward Wormtail informed him that Lily Potter was the secret keeper for the Longbottoms. Afterwards, he shall head over to Devon Bay and kill the Longbottoms and their brat. It was a pity that such powerful bloodlines shall end by the end of the night, but alas nothing can stand in between him and his path to immortality.

Regulus Black died according to the Lestranges and with his death, the matriarch of the Blacks, Walburga died of heart failure as she couldn't stand living in a world without her youngest and most favorite child. Therefore, the title of Lord Black lay with that fool of a Gryffindor, Sirius Black and his fiancée, Lady Angelica Katya Warren, Heiress to a powerful and pureblooded American family. He must sway them to his side somehow after the night was over.

"My most faithful followers, tonight I want you all to attack Diagon Alley. I want mayhem and destruction, enough to send all aurors out for you. Tonight is the night we shall begin our rule over those filthy mudbloods and blood-traitors," bellowed Voldemort, causing all his followers to jeer and cheer along with him.

After they all departed to Diagon Alley, only Rodolphus, Rabastan and Bellatrix Lestrange stayed behind, as per his orders.

"Rodolphus, Bellatrix, I want you to go back to your manor and stay with your son and heir," Voldemort said, seeing that they were about to disagree, the Dark Lord continued, "You have a son to be with. A son of a powerful bloodline of Lestrange and Black; now that I have no hold over the Black line, I need you to raise your son properly. I want you to go back and stay with him, after all it would do you no good sitting in Azkaban, not that I think anything will go wrong. Your mission is to have your son be a master duelist with a great knowledge of the Dark Arts ready to take his place as one of my most faithful of followers alongside you, do not disappoint me."

Rodolphus and Bellatrix bowed their heads in submission as they thanked their Lord profusely.

Rodolphus would never admit it out loud, but he was thankful that the Dark Lord had ordered them to stay behind with their son Aaron. The Dark Lord turned to acknowledge Rabastan Lestrange.

"Your wife is with child is she not?"

Rabastan immediately nodded as he said, "She shall be in labor in a months' time, my Lord."

"Excellent. Even though you have married into the Zabini line, a neutral family; she is of pureblood descent and your child shall be powerful as well. I want you to stay with her and do the same as Rodolphus and Bellatrix with their son."

"Thank you master, for your kindness," said Rabastan gratefully. He never liked leaving his beloved wife, especially now that she was pregnant and could be in labor at any moment.

"You may take your leave," Voldemort declared.

As the Lestranges left, Voldemort smiled cruelly to himself, "I shall not be as lenient with you Potters," before apparating on the spot to Godric's Hollow.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

At the same time Voldemort was sending his Death Eaters to create havoc in Diagon Alley, James, Lily and Peter were sitting in the living room after having put Charlus and Odette to sleep.

Suddenly Dumbledore's phoenix patronus appeared in front of them and Albus' voice reverberated in a panic-filled voice, "Death Eaters in Diagon Alley, we need all hands, there are too many and the Alley is in chaos."

James and Lily stood up immediately, retrieved their wands and informed Peter that he was to take care of the twins and that they hopefully wouldn't be gone for a long time, before they held hands and apparated away.

Upon the Potter's arrival, the scene in front of them made bile rise from their throats. All of Voldemort's Death Eaters were in the Alley, killing people left and right as they all ran to hide in the shops, unable to apparate away due to the cleverly put Anti-Apparition wards.

James and Lily shared a look filled with love and worry as they split up and ran head first into the fight.

"EXPELLIARMUS"

"STUPEFY"

"REDUCTO"

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

Lord Voldemort appeared right in front of the cottage. The rusty gates entwined with holly and vine whined and creaked as the Dark Lord pushed them open and silently strode arrogantly down the pathway, his cloak billowing in wisps after him.

There was a gloomy feeling in the air as the winds wailed, aggressively attacking the thin cloaked figure of the Dark Lord; it was as if they knew he shouldn't be there as held nothing but cruel and malicious intent.

Wormtail opened the door and said, "M-m-my L-l-lord, the P-potters l-left to Dia-Diagon A-a-alley. I c-c-couldn't stop them from l-l-leaving," he whined pitifully.

" _You fool_! I at least needed that mudblood here so I could eliminate the Longbottom brat," growled the Dark lord as he pointed his wand at the sniveling creature in front of him.

Wormtail cowered on the floor as he looked up imploringly at his Lord and said, "M-my Lord, the-the old fool th-thinks that it is Charlus P-potter that the-the pro-ph-phecy speaks off. I beg of you p-p-please."

"Oh?" Voldemort looked curiously at the coward, "And do tell how he came to that conclusion Wormtail?"

"Th-the P-p-potter girl is rendered a near squib m-my l-lord and the old fool f-f-feels that Ch-Charlus P-potter would near m-mage level as he progresses in a-age," cried Wormtail pathetically as he wringed his wrists and squirmed on his place at his feet, where his place would always be.

"Interesting," Voldemort mused aloud to himself. "You may leave."

Wormtail scurried out of the cottage and transfigured back to his rat animagus form as he watched from the space between the trees. Voldemort watched him leave in disgust; the filthy coward never even cared that he sentenced his oldest friends infants to death, but no matter, they're deaths are unavoidable yet regrettable.

Lord Voldemort climbed up the stairs, entering the nursery room two doors down to the left.

There sitting before him, happened to be two cribs with mobile magical creatures hung above them for their childish minds delights – but what would he know, he had no such thing when he was at that accursed orphanage.

The room was red and gold which deeply disgusted him, Gryffindors to the core, how utterly blinding.

The Dark Lord looked in on the first crib, where a baby boy with jet black hair seemed to be sleeping, as he approached the boy with his wand out, he heard the small rustling of sheets, sensing some movement from the crib besides him.

The Dark Lord turned around and found himself staring at Avada Kedavra killer eyes that held knowledge and power; _such raw power._

The ruby redheaded girl stared back at him unblinkingly, he detected no fear whatsoever from the girl, and Voldemort felt like he was suffocating at the amount of raw power that was floating around her and threatening the air he breathed.

Lord Voldemort scoffed to himself. The fact that the old fool and the Potters believed that girl to be a squib astounded him, as her power was far too strong for one of her age, he was sure that she was the prophecy child.

Lord Voldemort strode over to her crib and stared at her. She was extremely beautiful for a baby, it was too bad she would never have a chance to grow up and test her magic and the obvious wisdom that were shown due to the intensity of her eyes.

"I am truly sorry little one, but I cannot have anyone as powerful as you to live, especially as you are the prophecy child that has been foretold to vanquish me."

The little girl titled her head to side and looked at him, eyes filled with understanding.

 _How odd_.

"Truly a pity."

Just as he raised his wand, with the killing curse on the tip of his tongue, the little girl spoke in a melodious, childish voice, "I beat you!"

Voldemort raised an eyebrow at her bubbly persona, childish yet melodious voice and impish smile filled with confidence and a little amount of innocence, and said, "No, I kill you little one."

" _Avada Kedavra!_ "

The bright green light beamed directly at the direction of Odette's forehead, but before it could make impact, Odette lifted her tiny, delicate, pudgy hand and with her small index finger, met the end of the green beam, directing it diagonally, hitting the wall and forming a triangle right back to the Dark Lord, hitting him in his chest.

The Dark Lord watched all this happen in slow motion in awe and panic, unable to comprehend what just happened; as the green beam hit him, all he could feel was the most excruciating pain as he burst into a black smoke of oblivion and crumbled down into nothing but ashes, his last thought being, 'The girl survived the killing curse', before his spirit fled out through the crack on the open window.

As the Dark Lord's spirit flew away, the ground in front of the crib was full of ash and his black, hooded cloak – his wand disappeared right back to its rightful place in his manor; a spell set by the Dark Lord himself in case he was ever parted from his faithful wand it would appear in his manor.

The wall where the killing curse hit was lit on fire, resembling Fiendfyre and the dark energy remained hovering around in the nursery from the Dark Lord and the spell blew up the room. Pieces of debris and wood started raining above the Potter twins, causing Odette to apparate next to her brother and set a dome shield – a magical force field to protect them.

Right before Odette set her shield, a block of wood fell above Charlus along with a few pieces of debris. They scratched the surface of his forehead, forming with the burnt remains of the killing curse a lightning bolt scar. Odette was too exhausted to stay awake, and slumped beside her brother, who had finally awoken and suddenly burst out into frantic tears.

Since Odette was asleep due to magical exhaustion, she failed to notice that the dark energy which remained in the room after she vanquished the Dark Lord stopped hovering above them. The dark energy made its way into an open wound at the back of Odette's small yet slender neck, residing inside and sharing a part of her soul for the years to come.

It was almost as if it found her to be worthy of carrying it around, keeping it safe from the ones that would do it harm.

Outside the cottage in Godric's Hollow, beneath a hollow tree, a fat, grey rat stared at the top of the house where the nursery should be in a stupor. He decided to remain hidden until he gathered all the information needed.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

In Diagon Alley, the Death Eaters were fighting brutally.

Siblings, Amycus and Alecto Carrow stood above Frank and Alice Longbottom as they bellowed the Cruciatus Curse repeatedly, laughing with utter madness, their eyes convulsing excitedly, when suddenly they felt their arm sting brutally, painful to the extent that they dropped their wands.

All around Diagon Alley, the aurors and members of the Order of the Phoenix stopped cursing and deflecting spells as they witnessed the entire remaining Death Eaters drop down to the floor, clutching their inner left forearm and screaming uncontrollably with pain.

Alastor Moody, Head of aurors, member of the Order of the Phoenix and fighter extraordinaire was the first one to wake up from his shocked stupor and take charge, bellowing orders to his unharmed aurors to magically bind the Death Eaters and confiscate their wands.

James and Lily Potter rushed to their friends Frank and Alice Longbottom and helped them up, while Sirius Black and Remus Lupin bound and tied up the Carrow siblings, who were pathetically mumbling, "My Lord, My Lord." Thankfully the Longbottoms weren't held under the Cruciatus curse for long and remained with their sanity intact, only suffering with the after effect tremors.

Albus Dumbledore strode over to the group of six and frantically told them that the wards in Godric's Hollow cottage had collapsed and there was an intruder.

The Potters began cursing and crying as they along with Sirius, Remus and Albus apparated back to Godric's Hollow, leaving the Longbottoms to seek aid and quickly apparate to Neville who was left in the care of Frank's mother, Augusta Longbottom.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

While the remaining Death Eaters were being arrested, there was uproar in Lestrange Manor.

Rodolphus Lestrange was tucking his one year old son and heir, Aaron in his crib when his left arm started burning. As he fell down on the floor clutching his arm, he heard his wife Bellatrix screeching wildly and his younger brother Rabastan grunting as his wife Esmeralda frantically asked what was wrong.

Rodolphus silently cast a charm in his son's room where they could hear if there son woke up but Aaron wouldn't be able to hear anything outside and then ran down the stairs. He grabbed his wife and hugged her tightly, asking her if she was okay.

"Rod! Rod! The Dark Mark has disappeared! It's grey and barely showing! That means the Dark Lord is gone," Bellatrix sobbed as she fell down into his arms. Rodolphus swallowed loudly, gently placing his wife onto the sofa and sat behind her, rubbing her back soothingly.

The four of them sat silently in the drawing room. Bellatrix was crying and in a panic, Rodolphus and Rabastan stared blankly at the wall in shock and Esmeralda stared at them all, uncaring about the death of the Dark Lord.

Esmeralda Lestrange came from a neutral family, the Zabini family. She married Rabastan because she fell in love with him, and she informed him before he proposed that she would take no side in the war, whether the Light or the Dark won, and if they had any children, she didn't want them to be forced into taking the Dark Mark. Rabastan agreed, especially since his older brother's children would end up being the heir to the Lestrange family and so there was no pressure for his wife or children to pick sides.

Bellatrix suddenly stood up, clutched her wand tightly and spoke with a ferocious glint in her eyes, "We must avenge our Lord!"

Rodolphus stood up and bellowed, "No! Bella our Lord gave us his orders. He told us to take care of our heir and that under no circumstance are we to do anything."

Bellatrix stared at her husband incredulously, before staring at Rabastan who stared blankly at her with his arms around his pregnant wife. "Surely we must avenge him Rod! We are his most faithful! We must attack and avenge him!"

Esmeralda scoffed and glared at her sister-in-law as she harshly spat out, "And then what, hmm? Avenging him will not bring your Lord back! Let us say you all get caught? What will happen to my child or your son? _Your heir_?" she stressed, "He will be branded as a junior Death Eater, picked on by the Daily Prophet and the Ministry, given to strangers to raise!"

"We are too powerful to get caught Esme!" Bellatrix yelled.

Esmeralda shook her head slowly, she loved Bellatrix like a sister, but sometimes her admiration to the Dark Lord blinded her, causing her to become manic and mad – she knew that everyone, even her family from the Black side called her deranged. "You shouldn't be arrogant, Bella, it would be your undoing."

"Alright, IF we are caught, then Cissa would raise Aaron," said Bellatrix trying to appeal to her husband so that they could go avenge the Dark Lord.

Rabastan finally spoke up, knowing that Rodolphus hated to disagree and upset Bellatrix, "You would have your son grow up without his parents?"

Bellatrix fumed. She knew her brother and sister-in-law made sense, and tears fell from her eyes, but she was not used to giving up. She turned to her husband and said, "Rudy what do you think?"

Rodolphus sighed loudly. He thought of his son and of their Lord – he loved his son and if they had to give up their faith to their Lord for Aaron's sake, then so be it. His son and heir, his family, would always come first from now on. Rodolphus looked at his wife and spoke softly, "Bella, we had our orders. We aren't supposed to do anything and even if we were … our son and our family must _always_ come first."

Bellatrix stared at her husband, many emotions flitting around her beautiful face – for once lacking its deranged gleam, first was confusion, then betrayal, then anger, before love and comprehension won out. She sat back down, kissed her husband and said, "Alright. Family first."

One by one, Rodolphus and Bellatrix followed by Rabastan and Esmeralda went to their respective rooms, wondering what the next day would bring. Surely their first step would be to arrange a meeting with their family, the Malfoys.

 **A/N:** __ **I have special plans for the Lestrange family. Can anyone guess what it is?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Chapter 7:**

When Albus, James, Lily, Sirius and Remus apparated in front of the Potter's cottage in Godric's Hollow, the first thing they saw was the half burnt down cottage coming from the nursery.

The Potters left the other three behind as they yelled frantically, racing each other up the stairs into the nursery.

They heard Charlus wailing loudly from his crib. Lily screamed as she saw blood pouring from a gash on his forehead; she ran to him and lifted him up into her arms as tears streaked down her beautiful pale face.

Albus, Sirius and Remus stood behind them as they tried to control the fire and put it out.

James yelled frantically, "Where is Odette?" before noticing her lying face down in Charlus' crib.

James swore loudly as he held her cautiously into his arms, and Lily didn't even think of berating him for his language. James cradled her softly before he began rambling fearfully, "She isn't waking up, is she dead?! She's bleeding from a wound on her neck! Oh god, not my little princess, please no!"

Sirius felt tears fall down from his gorgeous, stormy grey eyes as he looked as his best friend and his seemingly lifeless goddaughter.

Albus swiftly made his way over to the devastated father who was clutching his daughter as if she were his lifeline, pointed his wand at her chest and softly said, "Enervate."

The four occupants of the room watched as the tiny, beautiful baby girl fidgeted slowly and opened her huge, doe-like, emerald green eyes, blinking twice before gurgling and smiling at her daddy. They all started to laugh, and Lily thanked the gods that her children survived, while James blinked back his tears and smiled at his baby girl, who at the sight of her daddy smiling at her, began giggling.

Albus cleared his throat. Now that they had made sure that the twins were alive, they had to find out who the prophecy child was. "One of them has vanquished Voldemort. Since Charlus has a lightning bolt scar on his forehead, I must see to him first."

Lily handed over her son immediately to Albus, who thankfully held him and inspected him closely. He let his magic out to feel Charlus' aura before silently casting an incantation. The results shocked Albus Dumbledore as he felt dark magic emanating from the scar on his forehead – not knowing that in an hour the dark residue would disappear.

"Your son Charlus is the prophecy child my dears. I feel great dark magic coming from his scar," said Albus proudly.

James, Lily, Sirius and Remus cheered excitedly and Lily spoke up, "Also, his scar means power in runes! It's a mark from the gods!"

A thousand light years away, the gods present in the observation chamber at that exact moment were watching the scene intently, rolling their eyes at the dimwitted, redheaded woman.

"Can you check Odette, Albus? Just to make sure she wasn't affected by the curse," James spoke up as he left his wife and Remus to fawn over their son and godson.

Sirius stood beside James, too worried about his goddaughter to join in with the celebration happening on the other side of the room – it disgusted him how quick Remus and Lily, Odette's own _mother_ , were quick to dismiss the fact that Odette was also harmed due to the backlash of the Dark Lord's attack.

Odette began crying as James handed her over to Dumbledore. Odette didn't like the old man. Albus paid her no mind as he grabbed her as harsh as he could without being detected – causing her to cry harder, he hated how she wouldn't stop that insufferable crying whenever he held her and was around her.

After feeling for any dark magic and her aura, he tutted slowly, handing her back to her father.

"What is it Albus?" said Sirius harshly, causing Lily and Remus to finally snap their attention back to Odette.

Albus shook his head sadly as he gravely said, "I'm so sorry James and Lily, but your daughter has no magic core left."

"Are you saying – what are you saying? That my daughter is a squib?" James demanded, horrified.

"That's exactly what I am saying my dear boy, you have my greatest condolences," said Albus sadly.

James and Sirius shared tragic looks as Lily began to cry all over again.

"The important thing we must do now is clear Sirius' name at the ministry as they all think he was the secret keeper and we must begin our search for Peter," implored Albus, trying to get on Sirius' good side. He was killing one bird with two stones; clearing Sirius' name would pull him even more to his side, furthering his plans in gaining the Warren's approval.

All thoughts of their daughter, goddaughter and niece being a squib disappeared from their head as they started growling about the rat-traitor and making plans of his arrest and where his location was.

The rat outside that was now sitting in between some shrubs heard everything and took no time at all in speeding down the streets into the sewers and out of sight.

 _They will never catch me; I will make sure of it. I will bring my lord back one day. The Light and Dark side will rue the day they ever thought of me as weak and untalented._

Magical Britain would be looking for Peter Pettigrew, number one criminal, traitor and spy for many years to come, and still not succeed.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

Albus Dumbledore informed them of a press conference that will be held the following day in order to let the magical world know that they have a savior in their midst that succeeded in vanquishing Lord Voldemort at the age of one, before apparating back to Hogwarts.

The Potters packed up all their belongings from the cottage with the help of Remus and Sirius, so that they could relocate back to Potter Manor where they would be safer under the ancient ancestral wards.

Sirius went back to Black Manor as he was the heir now that his mother and younger brother, Regulus had died, so that he could inform his fiancée the incredible news and Remus went back to his little, comfortable home by the forest for some well-needed rest.

The next day, James and Lily dressed up in their best robes for the press conference. James was donned in his red and gold Potter robes with the Potter crest of the Griffin displayed proudly on his outer robes. Lily had on elegant gold robes displaying the Potter crest as well representing herself as Lady Potter. They dressed their little savior proudly in mini robes identical to James and apparated as a family into the Ministry of Magic.

They made such an impressive entrance and everyone gave a wide berth to the Lord and Lady Potter and their heir, as they made their way to the conference room.

They met up with Sirius, Angelica, Remus, Frank and Alice who came for emotional support. The room was filled with Lords and Ladies, reporters and ministry workers and the Minister of Magic, Millicent Bagnold herself.

Millicent Bagnold took the stage, causing all the hub hub to quiet down. "We are all here because Albus Dumbledore insisted a press conference, as he has important information explaining the unfortunate events of last night's massacre in Diagon Alley as well as the confusing incident that occurred afterwards with the Death Eater's abrupt surrender. I have one thing to inform all of you of; I would like to inform you that we have caught all vigilant Death Eaters and their trials are to be scheduled soon. Now, Albus if you please."

Albus nodded humbly as he strode up to the stage. There was an instantaneous uproar, everyone cheered for the greatest wizard alive, and Albus raised his hand for silence before casting a Sonorus charm and speaking out. "Last night, Voldemort (everyone shivered) in a desperate attempt to control magical Britain, sent out his last Death Eaters to Diagon Alley in order to instill fear among the people and have them all bow down to him. At the time, Voldemort made his way to Godric's Hollow, where the Potters where residing to kill them, believing them to be strong fighters and his last attempt to lure them to his side. However, James and Lily Potter where defending Diagon Alley and fighting the Death Eaters at the exact time, and so he took it out on Charlus Potter. As Voldemort cast the killing curse, it somehow rebounded, eliminating the threat of the Dark Lord."

Lucius Malfoy, Lord of the Ancient House of Malfoy, lifted a sculptured eyebrow and scornfully said, "Do you expect us to believe that a mere babe vanquished the Dark lord?"

The Potters sneered at him, but Albus merely smiled, beckoning James, Lily and Charlus to come forward. "See the curse scar Voldemort left behind, along with his ashes and his robes in front of young Charlus' crib. The scar is laced with the killing curse as you can all see; it's a curse scar and will never fade, unfortunately."

This caused everyone to mumble excitedly to the person beside them. Rita Skeeter, reporter for the Daily Prophet and known for her scandalous reports, said, "Why would Lord and Lady Potter leave their child alone at a time of war?"

James cleared his throat, pulling his wife back as he noticed her fiery temper was coming out and she was about to berate the bitch of a reporter she never liked, "Albus informed us of Voldemort's intentions and so we hid under the Fidelius charm. Unfortunately, we decided on Peter Pettigrew, one of our best friends as our secret keeper. He stayed behind to look after Charlus, when we found out about the attack in Diagon Alley – Peter Pettigrew turned out to be a spy for Voldemort and he sold us out. We must capture him and arrest him at once!"

This extra information caused uproar in the hall with most of the light supporters cursing and yelling for justice and filthy traitors to be arrested at once. Lucius Malfoy, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange stared blankly at this new piece of information; they never knew that the rat was their secret keeper, nor that their master was targeting the Potters.

"I introduce to you all, our savior Charlus James Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived!" Albus bellowed loudly, as James took Charlus from Lily and lifted him up in the air.

Reporters went crazy taking pictures left and right while the audience all cheered, throwing their hats up in the air and clapping loudly with as much enthusiasm as they could muster. The Dark supporters clapped calmly in fake cheer as they knew that the old coot was watching out for their reactions closely.

No one noticed that another very important part of the Potter family was missing; in fact other than the Longbottoms, Blacks, Tonks, Weasleys, Remus, McGonagall, Flitwick and Dumbledore – nobody else knew that a Potter twin even existed.

After the press conference anyone that knew of the Potter twin's existence was instantly forgotten as the Boy-Who-Lived and savior was announced for the whole world to see.

Meanwhile, Odette Arielle Potter sat in her crib, looking glumly at the gold wall and red ceiling as her parents and brothers were at the conference announcing their newfound fame; fame that she was the reason for.

Odette had an eidetic memory and could remember every second that occurred ever since she was out of her mother's womb, so she easily noticed that her parents forgot all about her. Thank god for house elves, otherwise she would have starved and sullied herself.

Odette Potter however didn't know that this was the first day of the rest of her new life of abandonment; she didn't know that it was only the beginning of being abandoned, ignored and forgotten.

She missed her daddy's smile and the smell of her mommy and for the first time, Odette cried.

Odette decided that it was best to fall asleep in order to pass the time and so that her magic would be able to recharge.

The old man said she had lost her magic and that she was a squib.

Poor Albus Dumbledore, in all his arrogance, he never noticed that the night he entitled Charlus James Potter as the savior of the Wizarding World, he made a grave mistake that could flip the whole outcome of the war.

Albus Dumbledore, in all his arrogance, didn't take into consideration that Odette was the one that defeated Voldemort, exhausting a lot of magic for a fifteen month old infant, and erasing all magic from her core until she had rested and recharged herself.

Albus Dumbledore, in all his arrogance, didn't think it was wise for a healer to at least double check, since it was their job to locate the magical signature of a child that was magically exhausted.

Albus Dumbledore, in all his arrogance, would waste more than a decade of his life having the wrong child trained in fulfilling the prophecy, while the right and extremely powerful and magically blessed child was to be pushed into the corner.

There are only two in the world that know the exact details of the night Voldemort disappeared: Odette Arielle Potter, the true savior of the Wizarding World and Girl-Who-Lived, and the Dark Lord, Voldemort. But none of them would be sharing any time soon, as one wouldn't be believed and would be accused of jealousy and the other was a mere spirit in Albania, trying to survive day by day until he has the means to get his body back in the darkest of rituals.

Albus Dumbledore, in all his arrogance, lost the true prophecy child.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Chapter 8:**

It has been eight months since Wizarding Britain hailed Charlus James Potter as the Boy-Who-Lived since he managed to somehow vanquish the Dark Lord Voldemort, and the Ministry of Magic were throwing a ball in the Ministry for the birthday of the Boy-Who-Lived who was now turning two.

Both the Lord and Lady Potter agreed to the grand birthday bash the newly elected Minister, Cornelius Fudge insisted on having, as it would give them more reason to bask in their newly-founded fame. Fame they were proud of, since their son rid the world of such evil.

Sirius Orion Black and his wife of four months, Angelica Katya Warren-Black were currently in Black manor, getting ready for the celebratory event of the night, donning on their best robes.

As Angelica Warren-Black was applying on her makeup, she thought of the events of the past eight months.

It was all such a rush after Voldemort was defeated by little Charlus Potter and the conference the old codger elaborated to bask in the fame of the Boy-Who-Lived and the Potters, that Angelica was ashamed to say, she totally forgot of the one missing member, who so happened to be her favorite Potter.

Odette Arielle Potter.

A month after that Halloween night, that they now also called Charlus James Potter day, much to Angelica's annoyance and incredulity, Sirius and Angelica made the trip back to California, America to prepare for their upcoming wedding day.

Angelica would be the first to admit that she had ulterior motives for having the wedding day earlier than they formerly planned. She knew that the old codger cleared Sirius' names immediately after Peter Pettigrew's betrayal in order to sway the Blacks and the Warrens over to his side, free to be manipulated and molded by him.

Angelica would not allow that to happen.

And so, she informed her father of the current events with the war, the defeat of Voldemort, and of the Potters and Dumbledore, whisking Sirius off from his work as an auror and his life with the Potters earlier than expected, spending the next three months planning for her wedding with her mother Lady Ivana Izabela Warren née Krum and her aunt Sofija Ana Krum who usually brought along her four year old son, Victor Anton Krum.

While the three women planned for the wedding of the century befit of the Noble and Most Ancient Houses of Warren and Black, Sirius spent the day talking of politics and building a friendship of trust and respect with her father Lord Liam Alexander Warren, her younger brother by two years Alexander William Warren and her uncle Anton Victor Krum.

Handwritten ivory invitations made from the greatest silk, was sent off to many important families and friends from all over the world, inviting them to attend the wedding of the Lord Sirius Orion Black and the Lady Angelica Katya Warren.

Angelica made sure that her mother included Odette's name clearly in the invitation as she was sure that the Potters would leave the poor little girl behind in Potter Manor.

However, it wasn't until the after party of the wedding, after Sirius and Angelica made their first dance as a married couple, did she notice that James, Lily and Charlus Potter had attended, but little Odette was missing.

Enraged, Angelica dragged a bewildered Sirius along by the arm to the Potter's side, demanding where Odette could be as she specifically had it written in the wedding invitation, for Odette's presence to be there, especially since she was Sirius' goddaughter and he would have immensely enjoyed having her there, included in the wedding events and the photos.

It was Lily who answered apologetically with a fake solemn attitude as James avoided eye contact with everyone, that poor Odette got sick just as they were about to take their portkey to America, and they feared that she might upset the other guests and ruin the beautiful and expensive wedding that the Lord and Lady Potter, along with the Lord and Lady Krum paid so much expenses over.

Angelica scoffed at that, she was no idiot after all. She knew that the Potters didn't want anyone to know of her existence. After all, imagine what the public would say if they found out that the famous Lord and Lady Potter, along with their famous son, the Boy-Who-Lived, vanquisher of the Dark Lord Voldemort had a daughter and sister for a squib.

It would be _scandalous_.

Not wanting to cause a fight during her own wedding day and risk having it posted on the tabloid for the Daily Prophet and the American Daily News, as she invited reporters for both – she let it go, leaving to fight for it on another day where hopefully, there wouldn't be any reporters to swoop down on her like a couple of vultures that they usually are. Although, in all fairness, the American Daily News had more honor and tact then the Daily Prophet.

Angelica sighed as she looked herself over in the floor-length mirror in her and Sirius' private chambers. She elected to dress herself in a sweetheart neckline Royal blue dress that had a slit up until her thighs. The color of her dress managed to bring out her baby blue eyes, displaying them proudly. The eyes after all, are the window to the person's soul, displaying how much knowledge and wisdom one usually has.

Royal blue also happened to be the colors for the Noble and most Ancient Houses of Black and Warren – the only differences were, the Black were a royal blue and silver, while the Warrens were a royal blue and gold.

Sirius came out from their bathroom where he was adding the finishing touches to his gorgeous raven black wavy hair, which he had tied back into a small ponytail. Sirius looked quite dashing in his royal blue and silver robes, with the Black crest of a raven displayed proudly on the front of his robes.

His expressive, stormy grey eyes drank in Angelica's figure hungrily, pupils dilating with lust and promised her that when they returned back to the manor, that he was going to ravish her completely until she reaches such a high, she won't ever want to become undone.

Angelica gulped audibly, her Sirius had quite a big manhood that they were both exceptionally proud of, and if she weren't already dressed and hadn't sent back to the Ministry with their family eagle owl their acceptance to the invitation, she would have stayed in and allowed Sirius to get on with his promise.

In fact, the only reason Angelica agreed to this pointless event just to celebrate the Boy-Who-Lived's birthday and suck up to the Potters, was so that she could see her favorite Potter, Odette. It has been eight months since either her or Sirius last saw her, and she knew that Sirius was looking forward to seeing his gorgeous goddaughter, as he had missed her so.

Together, Lord and Lady Black stepped out of the fireplace and into the hall where the Ministry held the celebration, and began the tedious job of being the perfect politicians by sharing fake smiles and trading words with the other Lord and Ladies, and other ministry workers as well as the doddering fool of a minister, Cornelius Fudge – how he won the election to become Minister, Angelica didn't know.

Finally, after an hour of pointless chit chat, the Potters arrived making a splendid entrance. James looked handsome, the full image of the Lord Potter in his gold robes with the Potter crest attached to the front, and Lily looked beautiful in a forest green halter-necked dress that fell down and swayed magnificently on the floor with every step she took.

And right there, in Lord Potter's arms was the little savior that everyone took the time to come over and celebrate his birthday, the little savior that everybody had been waiting for, Charlus James Potter. He looked so adorable in his mini gold robes that were identical to James'.

But Angelica wasn't looking at them, but for a special someone.

 _Where was Odette?_

After finally making their way over to the Potters and after Sirius had wished little Charlus a happy birthday, sharing formalities with his two best friends, Angelica deemed it the appropriate time to ask for the whereabouts of the birthday girl.

"James, Lily, where is Odette?" Angelica demanded, her baby blue eyes forming into slits.

"Yeah, I got little Oddie a present as well, where is she Prongs?" asked Sirius, lightly. Bless his soul, up till now Sirius never noticed that the Potter's hid Odette from the public, and she wasn't looking forward to the moment she would have to inform him and break his little bubble and the saint-like image he concocted of the Potters.

"Oh yeah," Remus gasped, a look of recognition lighting his amber eyes, and his forehead scrunching into a frown, "Come to think of it, I haven't seen her in around eight months, is she alright?"

Bless him as well, Angelica thought as she rolled her eyes. Those two were really clueless when it came to the Potters.

Angelica noticed yet again how James tried his hardest to not make eye contact with his two best friends, looking everywhere but at Angelica, leaving her question to be answered by his wife, the Lady Lily Potter, who was currently looking around at her surroundings in case anyone was eavesdropping into their seemingly innocent conversation between old friends.

"The poor dear got sick again, could you believe it?" Lily laughed a fake laugh, in an equally fake voice full of sorrow, her eyes drifting from Angelica, to Sirius and then to Remus. Doe-like emerald green eyes trying to convey as much innocence as she could muster, but Angelica wasn't about to believe the bitch.

At the beginning when Sirius introduced her to Lily Potter, Angelica thought the world of her; she loved her outings with Lily and Alice, and found a kind, compassionate and gentle soul in Lily. But ever since the old codger began testing Odette for her magical core and inheritance, Lily began distancing herself from her only daughter, causing Angelica to be the substitute mother she knew Odette was in great need of.

Odette would always smile when Angelica came over and would latch herself onto her constantly, causing the drift to further deepen between Angelica and Lily. Lily thought that Angelica didn't notice her disapproving glares and jealousy but she did; after all, Lord Liam Warren always taught his daughter to notice her surroundings and study people's emotions and facial reactions, what caused them to tick and so on.

"What? What's wrong with my goddaughter?" Sirius yelped, his face contorting into the embodiment of worriment.

"Sirius, calm yourself, do you want everyone to hear you?" Lily hissed causing Angelica to scowl at her. Nobody spoke to her husband that way, and so what if anybody heard, she didn't give two hoots.

"Watch it Lady Potter, nobody talks to my husband with such disrespect, I don't care how close you two are, I won't stand for you to speak to my husband, the _Lord Black_ publicly in such a despicable fashion," Angelica spoke in a low and harsh tone, making sure no one but the five of them would be able to hear.

Lily flushed an ugly fuchsia, and James looked like he wanted to intervene, but wouldn't dare to stand in a crossfire between the fiery Lady Potter and the sharp, powerful political figure Lady Warren-Black made.

"Second of all, _Lady Potter_ ," Angelica sneered, ignoring Sirius' hand tugging on her wrists to quit it, "I want to know where my niece is exactly, sorry if I don't find the fact that she so happens to fall ill during big events, such as her godfather and aunt's wedding day, AND her own birthday."

There was silence within the group of five, none of the three men dared to utter a word, all three of them fidgeting uncomfortably, avoiding the staring contest between sharp emerald green eyes and crackling, thunderous baby blues.

Suddenly, Charlus began wailing in his father's arms, causing everyone in the vicinity to turn sharply at the group of five and the baby boy savior in between. Without another word, Lily disconnected her eyes from baby blue ones, grabbed Charlus from James' arms and strode off into the direction of the washroom.

The three men now switched their stare at the imposing figure Lady Warren-Black just made, trying their damnest not to quail under her glare, especially James, as he was under her unwavering stare now that Lily had ran off.

"Tomorrow, I am coming over to Potter manor, I am going to collect _my niece_ and take her to Black manor for the day. I want her to be ready for me to pick her up at 12 P.M. sharp. Have a nice night celebrating your son's birthday while your daughter sits alone at home."

And without a second glance, Angelica stormed off leaving James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin to stare at the back of the most imposing and scariest woman they had ever seen. Angelica Katya Warren-Black completely kicked Lily Marie Potter's ass, a feat no one thought was accomplishable.

When Sirius and Angelica Black arrived at their manor via the fireplace, Sirius rounded up on his wife instantly, "What the hell was that Angie? You completely attacked Lily in a room full of people, with reporters buzzing around for gossip! On Charlus' birthday of all days!" he yelled.

Angelica fumed as she yelled back in an equally loud voice, waving her arms up in the air, "IT'S ODETTE'S BIRTHDAY, TOO! Your goddaughter … ya know, sometimes you're just too blind to see how much your friends have changed Sirius," she said, stomping up the stairs into their chambers.

"What's that supposed to mean, Angelica?" Sirius roared, following his wife's footsteps, entering the room and ducking just in time as Angelica threw her clutch where his face was a second ago.

"It means exactly what it was supposed to mean, Sirius Orion Black! Your friends have changed; open up your eyes damn it! Sometimes I forget how much of a brash Gryffindor you could be. We haven't seen Odette in eight months, ever since she was a day old and that old codger began checking over her magical core, everyone had forgotten about Odette. It is like she doesn't even exist anymore, it's always Charlus this, and Charlus that, no one fights for Odette anymore, not since Dumble-fuck rendered her a squib! I doubt Odette has even seen the outside of Potter Manor in eight months! No one even knows that the Potters have a daughter and that Charlus has a twin sister!"

Sirius stared blankly at his ranting wife, after she had finished yelling; Sirius slumped down on their king-sized bed, buried his face in the inside of his palms, and began to think over everything Angelica just said.

She was right! Everything she said was completely right! Even Remus forgot about her, he completely forgot about her existence over these eight past months. The Potters went to the conference the day after Charlus defeated Voldemort and left little Odette at home, all alone.

Sirius himself, Odette's godfather, hasn't seen her in eight months.

The last time Sirius could recall seeing her and holding her in his arms, was right after they came back from the attack on Diagon Alley that Halloween night.

Every time he saw the Potters it was during work with James as they were aurors, or Diagon Alley, Longbottom Manor and Black Manor. In fact, Sirius hasn't entered Potter Manor in ages.

Sirius felt Angelica place a dainty hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry Sirius, but I couldn't have you continue to live as a blind man anymore, you had to know."

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

It has been seven months since Odette's second birthday, and life was as lonely as ever … or as lonely as it could be for a two year old little girl whose parents practically ignored her existence and never let her out of the house in case she was seen by anyone who didn't know about her.

Odette was a very smart girl with an eidetic memory, and so, she could tell that ever since her second birthday, when her mommy, daddy and Charlus left through the fireplace in their fancy robes and dress that something had changed.

And she was right as the next day her mommy had the elves dress her up in her rare daily dresses that she was never able to wear as she was always to be locked up inside the huge manor.

Ten minutes later, her auntie Angie came over to the manor and picked her up. At first, she was upset with her since she hadn't seen her in over eight months, but auntie Angie began babbling to her that she was so sorry, her parents wouldn't let her and her uncle Siri see her, always stating that she was sick when she didn't see her on her wedding day.

Odette knew that Auntie Angie never expected her to understand her ramblings, but she did. Everyone expected Odette to be like every other two year old, but she wasn't – she was a very smart girl who understood conversations and body languages ever since she was five months old.

Ever since that day, Odette knew that her parents were ashamed of her because they thought she had no magic and were trying their hardest to conceal her existence from the world, and that it wasn't Uncle Siri and Auntie Angie's fault; it was her parents.

And so, Odette decided to try and prove her parents wrong. She spent every waking moment in the gigantic Potter Library which was comprised of two whole floors filled with books of every subject imaginable, from magical to muggle books.

At two years old and seven months, Odette was fluent in the English, French and Latin language. She chose French because she read in one muggle book that it was the language of love, something that Odette was dearly missing in her life. She also self-taught herself Latin, as nearly all spells were in the Latin language.

Odette decided that every year she would learn two to three languages, and she was quite pleased with herself for becoming fluent in English, French and Latin already in only three months. Odette was tested by her only family, the house elf Daisy that Lily had hired to take care of all the needs of Odette.

Daisy was quite a cute and young house elf, with wisps of blonde hair, a bulb-like nose, huge blue eyes that reminded her of her auntie Angie, although they were two shades darker and flappy, round ears with a squeaky voice.

Odette would practice with and teach a few words to Daisy while she taught herself, and Daisy was always so proud of her Mistress Oddie, who she loved and cared for her as a mother should.

When Daisy found out that Odette was capable of wandless magic, she insisted that her little Mistress learn first year charms and transfiguration using wandless magic, and since Odette had a wide and easily stretchable magical core, she achieved this feat in two weeks, going as far as learning the second and third year wandless charms and transfiguration. Daisy, however was adamant that Odette not learn any jinxes, hexes or DADA spells until she has matured more, which was in her opinion nine or ten years of age.

One day, Odette asked Daisy if she wouldn't mind placing a silent bubble charm in the music room so that she could learn a few instruments without her parents knowledge, especially her brother Charlus, as he would use the opportunity to hit her and get her into trouble with James and Lily. Charlus hated the library and the books in it, and so Odette used it as the room to hide from Charlus; a getaway room.

It was a slow process, but eventually Odette was able to hit all the notes easily, with the ability to play and compose many songs in the flute and the piano. Odette read many books from the Potter Library about the piano and the flute as an instrument and the many composers, who all so happened to be muggles – apparently magicals find playing instruments as a mere hobby and talent and not as a job, which was an utter shame in Odette's opinion.

She was extremely interested in the violin, but after reading all about it, she found it to be very complex. She read that one was able to play the violin either seated or standing up, and there was a precise way of holding the violin as well. Good posture was needed for the sake of quality and to reduce any chance of repetitive strain injury, also it was important to be in a natural relaxed position without rigidness or tension around the muscles, therefore, Odette decided that she would learn that particular instrument at an older age after she had perfected Occlumency and learned proper etiquette, as she was positive her parents weren't about to teach it to her as they wanted her kept away from social events and the occupants of the wizarding world.

In between learning the flute and the piano, Odette spent her free time reading the few psychology books the Potter Library had. She studied personality psychology, study of the unconscious mind, developmental psychology and some of the experiments muggle psychologists experimented in.

Odette also spent her time studying geography, as she found herself desperately wanting to escape from Potter Manor. She dreamed of traveling the world, experiencing the lives of other cultures and its cuisines, as well as their historical landmarks.

Odette decided to leave the study of history for when she was three or four years old; even though she had an eidetic memory and could easily store everything she had learned, read and studied, it was too much of an information overload for a two and a half year old.

Daisy advised her that it was preferable for her to begin studying Occlumency; once she was a master in protecting her minds and organizing her thoughts, she would be able to store everything she had studied and read neatly, instead of it all jumbling all together in her mind.

In her free time, Odette would pick up a number of random potions books from the library and read them for fun. Odette never found Potions to be a complex and boring subject, she actually found it to be entertaining and highly educational much to her joy. Daisy would come with Odette to the Potions chamber, located down in the dungeon of the manor and keep watch while she would experiment, standing on a high stool so that she could reach over the cauldron and stir without help from anyone.

Odette was ecstatic to be skilled in one of the three subjects her mommy thrived in and couldn't wait to show her how good she was.

Also, Odette was fascinated with the creation of spells and potions, and she couldn't wait until she was old enough to invent her own. For potions, Odette already had a head start; as long as she had the patience and the comprehension of what each ingredient was used for and symbolized, she could start out theories for her own inventions. However, spells were a different matter completely, as one must be skilled in Arithmancy and Runes, something Odette was still too young to learn especially without Occlumency.

With Daisy's help, Odette started making a timetable for when she turned three years old. Odette was motivated enough to learn something new every year, she couldn't wait to make her parents proud of her, and when she went to Hogwarts she was going to be the smartest girl in her year; she didn't want her mommy and daddy to be ashamed of her.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

There were two weeks left until Charlus and Odette turned three years old, and this year James and Lily Potter were planning a huge birthday bash in Potter Manor, unfortunately that meant that people would be able to see Odette.

Lily came up with the perfect plan; she ordered Daisy to keep Odette away from the huge outdoor garden, which was where the celebrations were going to be taking place.

Even though Daisy hated to alienate her little Mistress on her birthday, she knew that if she disobeyed the Lady Potter, then she would replace her with another elf, perhaps even one that would be mean to her little Mistress Oddie. So, Daisy agreed with the Lady Potter's demands with a heavy heart and promised to keep her little Mistress away from the birthday celebrations.

Daisy could only hope that the brave and kind Lady Warren-Black would intervene like she did on her little Mistress's second birthday.

The day before Odette's birthday, she was sitting with her parents in the living room. Her mommy was writing a letter while her daddy lounged around on the couch reading the Daily Prophet.

Odette had been planning on telling her parents the truth of what had happened when that bad man attacked the night when the rat man was supposed to be babysitting them, but she never found the chance as Charlus was always around, and when her parents showed a sliver of attention to Odette, he would cause a huge temper tantrum.

"Daddy?" Odette asked tentatively, her wide doe-like emerald eyes glowing as her dad turned his face to meet her eyes with his hazel ones.

"Hmm?"

"You know that night, when the bad man attacked us at the small house?"

There was a crunching noise as the quill in Lily's hand that she was using to write a letter to Alice Longbottom and Molly Weasley snapped in half as she heard the subject her daughter was talking about. James' eyes glinted sharply in anger at the reminder of what they could have lost that night, and in a way did lose, if they counted Odette's magic core.

"What about it Odette? We don't talk about that night. Your brother managed to defeat him and send him away and that is all that matters," Lily snapped aggressively, dismissing her daughter, and fetching another quill so that she could continue with her letter that she was rudely interrupted from.

"B-but, mommy that's not true, that isn't what happened," Odette blurted out in shock. Was that the reason why everyone fawned over Charlus and ignored her? Because they all thought he was the one that sent that bad man away? But it was her … why would they think it was Charlus?

James and Lily never noticed how Odette never slurred or lisped her words like her brother Charlus was at his current age. They never noticed that she sounded smart beyond her years, with a large and perfect repertoire of the English language.

The only thing they noticed was that their only daughter was acting like her brother's accomplishment was nothing to be trifled with or mocked about. Charlus defeated Voldemort, giving them several years of peace, and here was their daughter, trying to steal his thunder because of something as silly as jealousy.

"You don't have to be jealous of your brother girl! How dare you ridicule your own brother," Lily screamed, causing her daughter to cower in her seat.

"But I'm not ridiculing him, I'm being honest momma," Odette cried out.

"I don't appreciate liars in this family. As your punishment, tomorrow you are to stay in your room, if you so much as leave the manor you'll be grounded for life," growled out Lily.

"But, but tomorrows my birthday," cried out Odette in a small voice.

"I don't care! James, go teach our daughter not to lie anymore," Lily demanded of James.

"What do you want me to do? Hit her?" James asked sarcastically.

"Yes," hissed Lily, causing James' eyes to widen, "If we don't teach her at such a young age, then she'll grow up thinking lying is tolerated in this family, and we don't want her growing up to be jealous of her brother."

Lily abruptly snatched her letters from the table, heading off to the owlery, but before she left, she smacked Odette on the side of her tiny little face as hard as she could muster, causing her to cry out.

James stared at the back of his wife in horror, not believing what he had just witnessed. Odette had curled herself into her body on the couch, sniffling, and wiping her tears that covered her red face that looked like it would form a huge bruise the next day.

James sighed deeply and went over to his daughter, bending down on one knee so that he could keep eye contact with her. Carefully, he lifted her cherubic face and wiped her tears away with the pad of his thumbs and said, "Odette your mother means well, it's just that night terrified her and bringing it up must have brought those emotions back, do you understand?" he asked gently.

Odette obediently nodded her head, she didn't mean to make her mommy upset.

"Also, your mother despises it when people lie to her face, and you saying that your brother didn't defeat the bad man – "

"But he didn't! _I did!_ " Odette cried out in exasperation.

"ENOUGH!" James yelled, and before he knew it, his hand went flying out of its own accord, smacking Odette hard in the other side of her face. Odette was rendered speechless, and the next thing she knew, she was crying out loud, her face was completely numb on both sides where her mommy and daddy had both slapped her.

James Potter was as still as a statue as he stared down at the offending hand that slapped his daughter, his own flesh and blood, on the face. James was never a violent man, but he hated liars as much as his wife did – but was that an excuse to hit his own child?

Without a word, James strode out of the living room, making his way to the peace and quiet of his own room. He hoped that after a good sleep, this event would be wiped out of his memory. In fact, James decided that before he went to his and Lily's sleeping chambers, to make a pit stop in his office.

Upon entering his office, he opened one of the hidden cabinets, where inside, a pensieve was located – this pensieve was passed down through the generation of the Lord Potters. James caressed the runes on the marble slab cautiously – it was last used by his father, his beloved father who had never laid a hand on him before, and who would be terribly disappointed in his son for laying hands on his own daughter, as well as allowing his wife to hit their child.

James took out his wand and pulled out a strand of wispy, pearl white string which was his memory; the memory of what just happened to be precise. Removing the memory and placing it in his pensieve wouldn't erase it from his memory or from ever happening, but it would help in keeping it away from the forefront of his mind.

As James Potter tucked himself into bed for an afternoon nap, Odette was still curled onto herself, clutching onto both sides of her face as she cried out loud in pain and sadness.

Daisy popped into the living room, she felt her little Mistress' distress through their link, but she couldn't do anything as she was with her parents and it was them that caused her such anguish. "Little Mistress, don't cry, don't be sad, Daisy is here little Mistress," she squeaked in a placating manner.

Daisy carried her crying little Mistress into her tiny and bony arms, and popped over to her chambers.

As Daisy popped away with Odette, nobody noticed that in one of the big portraits of a unicorn that was situated in the living room, the late Lord Charlus and his wife Lady Dorea Potter, who so happened to be the parents of the current Lord James Potter, watched the whole episode take place.

Charlus and Dorea were distraught with their son and daughter-in-law for all the pain they caused their adorable granddaughter, and don't even get them started on the bullying ways of their grandson. Charlus and Dorea watched over Odette closely, and what they saw shocked them to their core.

Odette wasn't a squib after all, she just didn't trust Albus Dumbledore for some reason they couldn't fathom. Albus was a wonderful man and one of their most trusted family friend; perhaps he had gotten even more senile in his old age?

But the most important of all, was that Odette was no squib, she was a powerful witch; one of the most powerful witch they had ever seen, and she was only two years old, now nearly three. They watched as she picked up new languages easily, and how she read books so quickly and how she understood every single word she read. She drank knowledge up, like a dehydrated man thirsted for water.

After much deliberation, Charlus and Dorea decided not to out their granddaughter to her parents. James and Lily deserved to end up having their daughter hating them for how they treated her up till now. If James turned out to be a squib, they never would have treated him any differently. They didn't raise James to be prejudiced against squibs, and so they allowed Odette her secrets.

They decided that once Odette was five years old, they would introduce themselves to her. Charlus and Dorea were very excited to teach her many things and inform her of the Wizarding World; something her parents should do in the future, but knew they wouldn't.

And so, the late Lord and Lady Potter began counting down the years for when their beloved and lonely darling granddaughter would turn the age of five and they would finally get to know her on a more personal level and be able to hold a conversation with.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

Today was the day Charlus and Odette turned three years old and Sirius couldn't wait to see his nephew and his goddaughter and hand over their gifts. He had gotten them a toy broomstick each, and even though Odette had no magic, the broomstick was geared into levitating two feet over the ground, regardless if the rider had magic or not.

Angelica on the other hand, was in no mood to see Lily, she was after all six months pregnant, and therefore she was constantly a moody and extremely hormonal bitch. But she couldn't wait to see little Odette, she had been staying in Black manor lately due to her pregnancy and was unable to see much of her favorite Potter.

Upon arrival, they noticed that the party was in full swing, all the children were out playing games while the adults sat around, lounging comfortably in the plushy seats provided by the house elves.

"SIRI!" Charlus yelled excitedly, running over to his cool uncle and throwing his arms around Sirius' neck as he had knelt down with his arms open wide ready to catch him.

"Argghhh, how's my favorite nephew doing? Happy birthday Prongslet," Sirius cheered, smothering him with kisses and tickling him with the hair of his goatee. Angelica then gave Charlus a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek, handing over his gift, causing him to squeal and run off to his friends as he carried the package in his pudgy hands.

After trading pleasantries, Sirius and Angelica began searching high and low for Odette, but to no avail.

"Lily, where is Odette?" Angelica asked angrily, she was getting sick and tired of continuously asking the exact same question every time there was an event taking place.

James looked away, but this time he wasn't avoiding eye contact with everyone, he looked to be guilty. _What the hell is happening with this family when it comes to that precious little girl?_

Lily however, looked smug and defiant, "She's grounded, and no you may not see her. That would be a poorly taught lesson if we allowed her guests."

"You grounded her?" Sirius asked slowly, "You grounded her on her birthday? A birthday she was unable to celebrate last year because she was _sick_!"

"Padfoot –"James began.

"No, don't Padfoot me," Sirius fumed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried his hardest not to say something that he would end up regretting. He couldn't believe how blind he was to how his friends were treating his goddaughter just one year ago; he was so happy that he married Angelica, a woman unafraid to speak her mind and that could set his straight.

Sirius finally looked James and Lily square in the face, it was his turn to talk, and he didn't want Angelica to stress herself out as it could cause her to have an early pregnancy. "If you guys are either unable to or don't want to raise your daughter, then tell me, because I love that little girl as my own, and Angelica and I would be glad to take her off your hands since you are so _embarrassed_ that you gave birth to a squib," he spat out towards the end.

James stared wide-eyed at his best friend; he never saw that one coming. Lily however, looked to be unaffected as she stared impassively at the two men in a bored fashion, her eyes occasionally drifting over to the Longbottoms and her darling son Charlus who was playing happily with his friends.

James finally managed to gather his thoughts and pulled Sirius away from Lily and Angelica, somewhere private where they could talk with no eavesdroppers.

"Look Padfoot, I may not show it well, but I do love my daughter. However, Charlus is more important to us, he has magic and with him defeating Voldemort, he is under a lot more pressure – he is the child of the prophecy after all and he needs all the support and love that we could give him," James began, breathing in deeply and ignoring the incredulous look Sirius was sending him, "Once Charlus begins attending Hogwarts, we'll have more time to lavish Odette with attention."

"So what do you want me to do? Ignore Odette's existence? Pretend that what you and Lily are doing is okay? You're emotionally abusing her," Sirius growled out, choosing to ignore the fact that James flinched when he said the word 'abuse'.

"I'm asking you to pick a side. You're MY best friend, and just as I named you Odette's godfather, I can easily take it back! I'm asking you to support your brother and his family," James said bluntly, hating himself for making his brother in all but blood pick a side like this.

It was for the best though, his daughter was a squib, nothing special – no wizard would marry her now, and she was doomed to a life as a hermit. Once Charlus begins attending Hogwarts, they would send her to a muggle boarding school, where she would hopefully make friends there, in a place where she actually fits in.

Charlus, on the other hand, he was the child of the prophecy, the child that defeated Voldemort. He so happened to agree with Albus – Voldemort wasn't exactly dead, and when he returns back from whatever form he is in right now, he would return with a vengeance and a target on his precious son's back. He couldn't waste time with his squib daughter.

Sirius stared at James for five long and silent minutes; they could hear nothing but the whistles of the wind, the voices of the children and the hubbub of the adults speaking with one another.

"You win James," Sirius spat in a harsh voice, making his best friend flinch with the unexpected aggressiveness he had only ever heard when speaking with the Slytherins and Death Eaters. "I won't outwardly ignore my goddaughter, but I'll pay less attention to her and convince Angelica to do so as well. But heed my warning James, there will come a time where you will regret this – deeply regret this and hate yourself for the time lost with your daughter. And when the time comes, I'll be there to tell you 'I told you so.'" He then turned his back to his best friend's face to return back to his wife.

Sirius grabbed the present from Angelica's hands much to her surprise, and threw it into James arms, who deftly caught it – the guy was a chaser after all, one of the best. "I would appreciate it if you would give this to Odette for her _birthday_ ," he growled that last word out harshly, making sure that he grabbed eye contact with Lily when he said so, and Angelica was glad to see a small sliver of guilt and shame fill Lily's emerald green eyes, before returning back to its usual impassiveness.

"Where are you going?" James asked unsurely.

Angelica lifted a perfectly sculptured eyebrow at her husband; she wanted to hear the answer to the question as well, since she never knew they were going anywhere in the first place.

Sirius stared at James long and hard before spitting out, "America. Angelica's pregnant and to be honest, right now, I'd rather spend my time with my other family," he said bluntly. James looked so downtrodden at that moment and Lily looked scandalized. "Tell Charlus we had to leave."

Sirius didn't bother waiting for an answer, he grabbed Angelica's wrist, and carefully molded her into his body protectively since apparating while pregnant wasn't the safest method of traveling. Just as Sirius was getting ready to apparate, he saw none other than Albus Dumbledore confidently and arrogantly striding over the path to the Potters and yelled, "See ya Dumble-fuck!"

The last thing Angelica saw as her husband apparated them away, was the look of shock on Albus' old wrinkled face, a lemon drop spilling out from his mouth and getting stuck onto his long white beard comically due to his mouth hanging open.

 **A/N:** **This one was quite the long chapter, Whew! Poor Odette, huh? What did you all think?**

 **To all the Lily Potter fans out there, I am sorry for all the bashing, don't get me wrong, I love Lily Potter as well, but for the sake of the story and the direction it is going to, I had to.**

 **I already have the next chapter all planned out, so it will be out in a day or two maximum! Enjoy!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **We meet some from the marvel universe in this chapter, enjoy!**

 **Chapter 9:**

A tall, slim and lithe man dressed fully in a garb of green leather armor, walked as swiftly as possible towards the end of the narrow and largely decorated hall, to a golden door with emeralds decorated around it, sparkling cheekily in a great contrast of the man's mood.

The man pinched his nose, grabbed the intricately made gold handle and pushed it open, entering his room – his safe haven and the place where he could mostly be himself.

He roughly took off his helmet and threw it as hard as he possibly could, with his super, abnormal strength to people not of his kind, into the wall opposite of him.

He succeeded in causing a loud ruckus, the sound of metal on gold marble making a reverberating clanging noise, only increasing when the metal helmet knocked down on the ground. He also succeeded in gathering his temper, as his actions where extremely therapeutic to him.

The man leaned his lithe body against the wall, burying his head into his hands, until his shoulders stopped moving rhythmically in an upward and downward beat and hunched downwards as a sign of complete calm.

Getting up, he forcefully entered his bathroom in desperate need of a warm and calming shower.

He only had eyes for the huge gold marble bathtub decorated in emerald gems, which could easily fit five of the biggest frost giant.

 _Only the best for a Prince of Asgard_ , he thought sarcastically, before plunging himself into the large pool of water and bath oils.

Scooping lotion on his silky, midnight black hair, and then oil all around his lithe toned body, he thought of the events that outraged him so, leaving him in a wrathful mood.

The _Lady_ Sif – and he used the term Lady, loosely, and her band of inadequate morons.

Whenever his brother wasn't around, his friends and closest confidants, the Lady Sif and the warriors three, Hogun, Fandral and Volstagg, would continuously pick on him and his fighting techniques, calling his magic childish play and a cheat.

In all fairness, Hogun and Fandral where the lenient ones of the four, they never looked to be amused with calling him names and irking him so – but Sif and Volstagg where something entirely different; when around his older brother Thor, Prince of Asgard and heir to the throne of Asgard once the All-Father King Odin steps down, they acted like the perfect lackeys, but when Thor's presence was away somewhere else, they would band on him and mock his god gifted talents and the build of his body, calling him too thin and not shaped to be a true warrior of Asgard – apparently one must be all muscle and brawn and no brain.

Loki sighed, he spent too long getting lost in his thoughts that the water had cooled down immensely. Getting up from the tub, he clicked his fingers, drying his body completely and went to the neat stack of sleepwear that were near the sink and got dressed.

Looking at the mirror, Loki studied his aquiline features and aristocratic looks. He was quite the handsome one with his shoulder length midnight black hair, round forest green eyes, prominent cheekbones and chin, and his toned and lithe body. In fact, the rare times he would make trips down to Midgard, he never failed to notice the plentiful men and woman admiring him from close and afar.

Sometimes, Loki wished that he could be treated like an equal to Thor.

The only person that showered him with love and affection, showing fairness between her two sons, was his sweet dear mother Freyja, who constantly taught him the wonders of magic, encouraging him to learn more and to never be ashamed of his gift and to always use it in a fight as it was his strong point.

Freyja never showed preference in Thor like his father Odin did, or the people of Asgard.

Loki wasn't a naturally jealous person; in fact, he could never bring himself to be jealous of his ever loving brother. He loved Thor immensely and unconditionally no matter how infuriating he could be, especially when he would make barbs of his magic like Sif and the warriors three would when he wasn't around.

Loki was awoken from his thoughts when the sound of bare feet echoed around his sleeping chambers. Loki titled his head sideways, listening clearly to the soft, pitter patter of delicate steps moving around his room.

Loki gritted his teeth – it was a well-known fact in Asgard that no one was allowed to enter any of the two Prince's chambers without permission. Even the All-Father and Queen Freyja had the decency to knock before bidding themselves entry.

Getting ready to rip apart the person on the other side, he grabbed the handle to his bathroom in a tight grip and opened the door swiftly, causing the gold marble door to bang loudly against the wall as it was thrown open.

He heard the person pause in their movement; searching for the intruder and getting ready to a give a tongue-thrashing that would scare the other person massively, he strode over into the depths of his chambers, before suddenly halting in his footsteps as he reached his magnificent, majestic and lavishly-made king-size bed that were drawn in a complete forest green bedding that Freyja herself had picked out, stating that it was her favorite as it were the color of his eyes.

For hiding in the corner, trying to make herself as small as possible, was a tiny girl.

Loki could only make out shoulder-length hair, the color of the most vivid ruby he had ever seen, and dainty little arms holding bare ankles tightly to her tiny body.

Loki paused as he knew there was no child currently in Asgard. At the moment, all the babes were at their teens, and this girl looked to be at least the age of three, perhaps two. Also, Loki knew no one of Asgard with hair the color of the purest rubies.

 _So where did she come from?_

Loki suddenly felt bad for scaring the child, but in his defense, she did enter his room without his expressed permission. And so, he slowly knelt down on one knee, trying to keep his height as close to child's as possible and spoke in a soft, hopefully soothing voice, he remembered his mother used to use on him many millennia ago when he was a mere babe himself.

"Lítil stúlka, koma út þaðan vinsamlega."

But instead, the child whimpered softly, her hands pushing her ankles closer to her body with her tiny arms.

Loki tilted his head in confusion before his face dawn in comprehension. _Perhaps, she doesn't understand Old Norse … maybe common tongue._

"Child, do you understand the common tongue?"

And with those seven words, the little girl slowly lifted her head so that only her eyes could be seen clearly, framed by ruby red hair that covered the whole of her face and Loki gasped.

Her eyes were mesmerizing, a color green he had never seen before but in the rich gems and crystals that adorned the halls of Asgard, they were the color of the clearest and most pure emeralds.

In Asgard, Loki was known for his unique eye coloring, since no Asgardians but he inherited the color of forest green. All Asgardians had different variations of blues, brown and black, and only some had hazel and olive green, but Loki's distinctive forest green were known only to him, and now this girl had eyes the color of emeralds.

Loki knew for sure that this little girl wasn't from this world; no Asgardian would have missed her distinctive hair and eye coloring that were seen only in the gems and crystals adorning the halls of the King's palace and the women in their jewelry.

Loki was now extremely curious to see what other unique features the child's face held, and so he took a few small steps forward; the girl was clever from what Loki could tell, her eyes held too much depth and wisdom for a girl her age, and he knew that she somehow could tell that he meant no harm.

Continuing in the common tongue, Loki said, "Child, would you show me your face and tell me your name?"

The girl titled her head in such an adorable way that Loki had to hold himself from cooing, he was a Seidhr, a warrior and Prince of Asgard, he did not fawn over little girls.

Slowly, the girl uncurled herself, letting go of her tiny, bare ankles and sat up straight though a bit unsurely, showing him a clear view of her face, and she was … gorgeous.

Gorgeous wouldn't even cut it, she was breathtaking, and a jewel that should be beheld by all that knew how to appreciate such vivid beauty.

She had a little button nose that he knew with age would shape into a perfectly straight nose with a curved slope, a heart-shaped face and the rosiest plump cupid bow-shaped lips. However, she looked to be a tad bit underweight as she was too skinny, but he decided to leave that question for later once he was properly acquainted with the mysterious girl that dropped into his private chambers uninvited, and seemingly from nowhere.

Her mouth opened slightly, and a tiny pink tongue licked rosy plump lips before speaking in a completely angelic voice, reminding him of soft bells and the melodious sound of birds that sang at the start of spring, "Odette, Odette Arielle Potter."

 _Odette Arielle Potter_? That was not a common name, in fact her surname sounded completely foreign to him – her father's name wasn't included. He, himself was Loki Odinson and his brother, Thor Odinson, their surname derived from the name of the All-Father.

In fact, neither was Odette nor Arielle an Asgardian name; it was no common Old Norse name that were usually given to Asgardians when they were naught but mere babes – but the names suited her; two completely unique names that described the uniqueness she was and the uniqueness of her ruby hair and emerald eyes.

"My name barn, is Loki Odinson."

"Logi, no … Loki Odinson," the girl, Odette Arielle repeated obediently, her tongue twisting over the syllables of his name with such expert ease, trying to cement it into her memory.

"Yes Lítil stúlka, now can you please tell me how you managed entry into my chambers?"

The girl frowned in confusion, tiny lines appearing on her forehead and Loki found himself trying his hardest not to smooth it over with his hands, wondering if her skin looked as soft as the most expensive silk.

"I thought I was in my bedroom, the last thing I remember was Daisy tucking me in bed and then finding myself here," she looked around at her surroundings, and for the first time recognition dawned in her eyes that she was indeed not in her bedroom.

"Hmm, that is indeed odd. Who is Daisy, if I may be so presumptuous to ask?"

"Daisy is my house elf," she giggled in childish joy, "but she treats me like my mommy should," she added in a softer voice, and Loki was under the impression that the last part wasn't meant for his ears, but Asgardians had excellent senses, eye vision and hearing, so the girl wouldn't know.

Loki scowled slightly, it seemed that Odette Arielle wasn't treated well by her own mother; he then did a double take, "House elf?"

"Oops," Odette Arielle gasped, her emerald eyes widening in slight horror, and her hands clapping over her plump little lips, covering it completely. She looked to be inwardly chastising herself.

"You're a muggle … I shouldn't have said that!"

"A mugg- Ahh," finally Loki understood who this little girl might be and where she possibly hailed from. He heard the term 'muggle' spoken only from the few Midgardian Seidhrs he had run into during some of his excursions into Midgard, and he derived from her British accent, that she must be from the British wizarding world. "You're a witch, barn?"

"You know?" the girl asked curiously, her face brightening in relief, dropping her hands back down and playing nimbly with her tiny fingers, nerves all gone.

"Seeing as I have magic, of course I know," Loki smiled tentatively; for proof, he opened his palms and a small harmless green fire glowed dancing around and forming the shapes of birds and butterflies for the little girl's enjoyment.

Odette Arielle squealed in delight, her hands going through the fire illusions as she tried to catch them with her tiny bare hands.

Loki's eyes glinted with amusement; he had never been around children as they were always wary of the Silvertongue prince, but this little girl looked to be happy and so relaxed being in his presence which warmed his heart.

"Now Odette Arielle," Loki began, closing his palm and ending the little magic show he had created for the child's amusement, "you appearing in Asgard is very strange indeed, you are the first mortal that have ever managed to enter our world … I'll have to collaborate with the All-Father later, but I'm pretty sure you have travelled through your dreams, it must be a skill you have or maybe your subconscious activated by your powerful magic helped you escape from something …"

The little girl began squirming as she spoke in a low voice, low enough that Loki with his excellent hearing had to bend over to listen intently so as to not miss a word.

"My mommy and daddy don't like me, they prefer my twin brother over me, only Daisy would talk to me and take care of me," she then looked up at him with shining eyes as tears threatened to fall, breaking Loki's heart, "I heard mommy and daddy say I have no magic because that is what the old man told them, but I don't like the old man, he gives me a bad feeling, but I have magic, I swear I do!"

Loki felt a vein in his forehead threaten to burst at the proof he needed that her parents weren't treating her well, deciding to ignore that fact for the time being, lest something breaks in his chambers and frightening the girl, he concentrated on what else she informed him and scoffed in disbelief.

"Don't have magic?! Of course you have magic, little seidhr! You're practically glowing with the amount of magic that is naturally running through your veins, it is very ambient; you're going to grow into a very powerful seidhr I can tell from now. If I may ask, how old are you, Lítil stúlka?"

Odette Arielle adorably held out her hand, showing three tiny fingers, squealing in childish joy, "Three!" before enquiring in such innocence, "Really, Mr. Loki? You truly believe me?"

Loki smiled, "Of course I do barn, I am a very powerful magic wielder myself, and magic is my expertise. I see it very strongly in you; in fact magic seems to particularly favor you from what I can see and feel … and no Mr. Loki, just Loki."

"I remember the old man would always invade my mind, looking for something but he could never find it, but I would always recoil from him, he gives me an icky feeling," she told him in a conspiratorial manner, making Loki smile.

"Old man you say? Well from what I can tell, your magic felt threatened by him, and so it hid itself from the old man's sights … he must have been checking you to see if you have any magic within you, probably with the permission of your parents. What is the old man's name?" Loki asked. He wanted a name so that he could possibly check out his credentials and if he meant the girl any harm.

"Albus Dumbledore," she answered obediently after a few moments of thinking.

Loki frowned, the name wasn't familiar, however it has been centuries since he last checked on the seidhrs of Midgard, perhaps it was time to pay them a visit – for some reason, he was feeling a very protective streak within him when it came to Odette Arielle Potter.

Another thought that came to Loki's mind, was that for a three year old, Odette Arielle seemed to have no troubles with speaking and understanding the common tongue – quite interesting.

"Odette Arielle, would you mind enlightening me as to why you speak the common tongue so deftly for one your age?"

She shrugged, "We have a huge library, and mommy and daddy always ignored me for Charlus – my twin brother, so I would spend all my time studying magic, languages and various other things, I remember everything that happened to me since I was five months old, maybe even earlier."

"An eidetic memory!" he gasped in astonishment, "My, my, my, you really are full of surprises – and pray tell, how many languages can you speak in?"

"Fluently, I can speak English, French and Latin," she said proudly, a bright smile bestowing her beautiful features.

"Oh? And why did you chose French and Latin?" asked Loki in amusement, who knew that he would enjoy a conversation with a three year old of all things, but then again, she was a clever girl who could certainly hold a conversation, which was more than he could say for most Asgardians who could barely speak of anything other than war, battle and ale.

"I read somewhere that French is the language of love, something I am lacking in my life other than from Daisy," she spoke sadly, looking down and fiddling with a loose thread in her nightwear, she then perked up and continued, "but I chose Latin, because most spells used are in that language."

Trying to cheer the Lítil stúlka up, Loki said, "If your visits here become a common occurrence, then I will let you in my special library and teach you Old Norse language as well as Norse runes … the most powerful spells and enchantments are in Old Norse after all, mostly long and forgotten spells."

Odette Arielle perked up, all signs of sadness vanished immediately, nodding her head happily, "Oh please, can you, can I?"

"I already said that I would barn," he replied in amusement.

"What does barn mean? In English it is a place for animals," she wrinkled her nose adorably.

Loki laughed, something he hadn't done in a long time, unless he was around his mother, Freyja, "It is Old Norse for child, and Lítil stúlka is Old Norse for little girl."

"I can't wait to learn … but-"the girl suddenly looked sad.

It was surprising how instantly her demeanors would change as quickly as lightening at times.

"But what, Lítil stúlka?" pressed Loki curiously.

"What if I'm unable to come back here?" she asked sadly.

Loki smiled at her, as if he knew a secret she wasn't in the in yet, "I know that you will be able to, Odette Arielle; your magic is informing me that you would be a constant visitor to Asgard."

Loki was able to see a smile lift from Odette Arielle's face before her body vanished all together, signaling that her body in Midgard had awoken from the deep sleep she was in.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

For the past three months, Asgard was shocked as the Silvertongue Prince of Asgard, Loki Odinson no longer scowled, or looked sullen anymore; instead, there was a bright smile on his face, and he would constantly check on his surroundings as if he were waiting for someone.

Odin, Freyja and Thor believed that he was quite smitten with a woman, and was finally falling in love.

Hogun and Fandral were indifferent, although a part of them were shocked at his change in demeanor.

The Lady Sif and Volstagg however, scoffed whenever they weren't around the royal family, saying that in no certain way was Loki smitten with a lady of any caliber, as no women would be foolish enough to give him their heart.

Thor would constantly press his brother for details, curiously wanting to learn her name – but Loki wouldn't budge. And no matter how many times Freyja would berate Thor to leave his brother alone, allowing Loki his privacy, Thor wouldn't listen.

Thor took it upon himself to following Loki around like a particularly annoying shadow, only to get bored to tears as Loki would spend nearly all his time in his private libraries searching for information he would not share – Loki even stopped practicing his magic, something that managed to shock even the All-Father.

Odin was beginning to get worried, he prided himself in knowing everything about his sons, and the fact that one of his sons was carrying around a secret, disturbed him. If it weren't for his wife, he would have demanded an answer from his youngest son long ago.

And so, Thor took another approach. He constantly asked Loki to spar with him, stating that he wanted to spend more time with his little brother, and that he had already memorized Lady Sif and the warriors three's battle stances and special moves.

Loki, knowing that it was only an excuse, but willing to take a break from his research and humor his beloved older brother, agreed.

Which was how he found himself down in one of the gardens of Asgard with Thor; Lady Sif and the warriors three were sitting in the witness stands surrounding them in order to observe the two Princes of Asgard spar.

It was only ten minutes in, when Thor began rebuking Loki for cheating, as using magic during a spar was not allowed – of course, his four followers agreed with Thor, and Loki found himself wishing he had never agreed to spar with his childish brother, until –

"Loki!" an angelic voice squealed, and Loki suddenly found something solid bump into him and latching on to his knees. He looked down, only to see thick ruby hair glistening with the sun surrounding the garden.

"Grænn gimsteinn minn," said Loki in adoration, the endearment he took it upon himself to call her – his green gem. "Oh how I have missed you, little one!"

Thor, Sif, Hogun, Fandral and Volstagg watched in complete bewilderment as Loki Odinson bent down on one knee, grabbing the child and engulfing her in a big hug, his strong arms wrapped around the little girl's frame in complete fondness.

"It has been two days since I have last seen you! I tried to come, but couldn't," the little girl huffed, pouting her lips in such an adorable fashion that had the four warriors and heir to Asgard's heart melt.

"How many times must I tell you to not push yourself, grænn gimsteinn minn? Let your magic be free, your magic is still getting used to such long distance traveling," Loki chided her gently in such a paternal fashion that left the other five to gape at him.

Thor bravely took a few steps closer, "Brother, who is this child that you speak with?"

Bright emerald green eyes widened in slight embarrassment, before hiding and taking cover into Loki's chest causing him to chuckle softly and carry her deftly in one arm. The little girl then proceeded to wrap both hands around his neck and hide her face in the crook of Loki's neck.

"This is Odette Arielle, she has been visiting me for about three months now …" he sent a sharp look full of amusement at his brother, "Not a fair maiden I have been trying to woo as you can see, big brother."

"I see," said Thor, letting out a few awkward chuckles as he scratched the back of his neck.

Sif scoffed in a know-it-all fashion, "I knew no proper Lady would give her heart out to you."

Poor, blundering Thor didn't recognize Lady Sif's words to be an insult, spoken in complete derision and disrespect to a Prince of Asgard. Hogun and Fandral however did, and they backed up slightly not wanting a fight to break out with a little girl in their midst.

But before Loki could say anything to Sif, a small voice peeped out, lacking its usual angelical tone filled with innocence, but spoken harshly with concealed hatred lacing her words, "How dare you speak to Loki that way! I may only be three years of age, but don't presume to think that I wouldn't be able to understand you disrespecting one of the Princes of Asgard! If the All-Father heard you right about now, you would have been sentenced to punishment or maybe even banished. You're just petty because Loki is smarter than you and better in battle, while you, who happen to be nothing but a bitter woman, trying to get yourself in high place by surrounding yourself with men with higher stature!"

There was silence in the room as everyone but Loki, stared at the little girl in awe and shock.

Thor frowned, trying to find the insult in Lady Sif's words the little girl spoke of, while Hogun, Fandral and Volstagg alternated their faces from the shocked and highly embarrassed Lady Sif, to the tiny, innocent yet fragile-looking little girl that held a look of deep loathing in her distinctive emerald eyes which were boring into dull brown ones.

Loki however was looking at his grænn gimsteinn in complete pride and adoration. She just happened to be the second person to have ever defended his honor, other than Freyja, and Loki could honestly say that he wasn't expecting her to speak up for him, especially with how shy she acted when seeing Thor for the first time.

"How dare you, _a little girl_ , speak to me the Lady Sif, with such disrespect? _Hold your tongue_!" Sif yelled, her hands fisted into balls and her dull brown eyes narrowing at the girl that was settled comfortably in Loki's arms.

Before any of the five men in the room could intervene, Odette Arielle spoke once again, a sneer on her small cherubic face, looking completely foreign like it didn't belong there.

"And how dare _you_ , a lowly Asgardian warrior, speak to _Prince Loki of Asgard_ in such derisive tones filled with ill-veiled contempt! It seems to me, that you are the one that should learn to hold your tongue when not only in the presence of royalty, but _two_."

"I am Lady Sif, _Goddess of the Vanir_ -" Sif began, only to be interrupted by Odette Arielle.

"Yes, and nothing but a friend and sometimes companion to Prince Thor, however that does not give you leeway to insult his brother! Don't assume yourself to be so high and mighty that Prince Thor would choose _you_ over his _own brother_."

Hogun, Fandral and Volstagg held Sif back, trying to get her to stay silent, but Thor intervened, seeing as his brother was not about to silence the little girl he looked to be incredibly fond off.

"Lady Sif, my friends the warriors three – can you please excuse us, I think that a visit to the All-Father is needed," said Thor confidently, drawing himself to his complete height.

Loki's eyes flashed with worry, something Sif caught on to by the smug look she was throwing at him.

King Odin appreciated Lady Sif's talent in battle, she was after all the Goddess of War, and she knew that the All-Father would banish the little monster and punish his son Loki for letting an intruder in their great halls, only to speak to her betters with such disrespect.

"Of course Prince Thor," said Sif in a disgustingly sweet voice that made Loki and Odette Arielle shiver in disgust.

As Thor, Loki and Odette Arielle who was still being carried protectively in Loki's arms walked away from the garden and into the palace, Odette Arielle witnessed Hogun and Fandral wave at her slightly from behind Sif and Volstagg's back, with small unsure smiles on their face, causing Odette Arielle to smile back brightly at the them with a wave of her own.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

King Odin and Queen Freyja were lounging about in the Throne room, which was completely devoid from people, except for the two royals, when Thor strode inside, announcing that there was an intruder in their midst that seemed to be particularly familiar with Loki.

Odin and Freyja were definitely surprised at this turn of events, they knew that Loki was keeping a secret from every one in Asgard, and they thought him to be in love with an Asgardian – not someone that didn't belong in their beloved world.

"Send the both of them in," said Odin, rage showing clearly on his slightly old features, his one eye narrowing at the door, waiting to see who this intruder was, and ignoring his beloved Freyja's hand on his warning him to keep his temper down.

But Freyja need not have bothered, because the instant Loki entered with a delicate child sitting in his arms protectively, with her tiny, dainty arms and legs holding onto his neck and waist respectively, all anger faded from Odin's face, his one eye widening in surprise and his mouth slightly gaping.

Freyja gasped and her husband and two sons could clearly see that she was itching to rush over to the little girl and hold her in her arms – Freyja loved children and had always wanted a daughter, but was unable to bear any due to some problems with Odin after too much wounds he had received during battle.

"A child…" Odin spoke slowly, "The intruder is a child … Loki? Did you cast any magic on her, transforming her into a little girl?" he asked suspiciously, and only Freyja and Odette Arielle noticed the hurt look that overcame Loki's handsome features before he expertly hid them behind an impassive mask.

"Of course not, father," said Loki adamantly, his hold on Odette Arielle tightening slightly, ready to transport her out of the room in case Odin decided to harm her.

Odette Arielle was a smart and clever little girl, and she could tell that the All-Father would not believe the circumstances unless he had enough proof, and so, she squirmed slightly in Loki's arms so that she could turn around and face the King and Queen of Asgard.

Speaking clearly in her angelic voice, completely devoid of any hatred or disrespect now that the mean Lady Sif was gone, said, "If you like, I give you my permission to check if there has been any magic done on me."

Odin's eyebrows rose at her words, he could clearly see the look of resignation on Loki's face at the little girl's words – _how much do they know each other?_ For Odin could tell that the little girl was a stubborn one, and Loki to have experienced such stubbornness in her before to know that he wouldn't be able to change her mind once set.

The All-Father beckoned her forward, watching as the little girl placed one dainty hand on Loki's face comfortingly, conveying with her eyes to trust her. He then watched as his younger son, gently placed the child down on the floor, and the little girl walk slowly albeit a bit shyly over to his throne.

From the corner of his eye, Odin could see Freyja's arms itching to hold her, but stopping herself – something Odin was thankful for, at least until he had proven that she was no imposter portraying herself around as a child and a threat to Asgard and the royal family.

Odin let his magic seep around the little girl's figure, testing her aura and trustworthiness, checking what her motives were for coming into Asgard.

Odin was shocked to see that she was in fact, a mere little girl, no older than the age of three … the girl had her own brand of magic, and he inwardly gasped as he recognized her magic to be from the Midgardian Seidhrs, but gifted with other brands of magic and gifts that weren't presented to herself yet … Odin sensed such pure innocence, a pure heart and a will to prove herself … he found her to be a girl deeply hurt, but by who? He didn't know … and lastly, he sensed a dark aura emanating from her, but it wasn't from her, but something that was leeching onto her soul – something she was still too young to find out about, but in time he would erase.

The All-Father retracted his magic, "I find nothing harmful coming from her or her intentions, she is just a mere babe with the power to cross over to other worlds through her subconscious – for now," he then looked into her uniquely emerald eyes and said, "I am sorry for the reception I have presented you with, but as King I had to ensure the safety of my people first and my son who you seemed to be attached to," he spoke the last part in amusement, and Loki was shocked to see his father act so cheeky, losing the strictness he barely saw him without.

"I understand, I would have done the same if I were in your position," the little girl said sweetly, showing nothing but sincere honesty in her eyes, something that Odin could not help but respect – the girl showed wisdom beyond her years.

"What is your name, little one?" Freyja couldn't help but ask as she looked down at the most beautiful and adorable girl she had ever seen.

"Odette Arielle Potter, Queen Freyja," answered the girl in a respectful yet childish tone.

"Oh, come now, we'll have none of that Queen business out of you sweet one, I would like you to call me mom or mother," Freyja answered back lovingly.

Odette Arielle's eyes widened in shock and sadness, she had always wanted a mommy, but her mommy didn't love her – why did everyone but her mommy, daddy and Charlus love her, when her own family didn't?

Loki, understanding the emotions that his grænn gimsteinn was going through, went over to her, knelt down and encompassed her in a hug as she cried her little heart out on Loki's shoulder. Upon seeing the look of confusion on Odin, Freyja and Thor's face, Loki hastened to explain, not wanting to hurt his mother's feelings.

"Her family has never shown her love, they ignore her and leave her care in the hands of a servant, a house elf, so you showing her love and asking her to call her mom made her happy but sad since her own mother despises her existence."

The three royals looked shocked at the news, and if the people in question weren't down in Midgard, they would have annihilated them long ago.

Suddenly Odette Arielle jumped into Freyja's arms and said, "I would love to call you momma!" with a brilliant smile on her face.

And so, that was how Odette Arielle Potter was inducted into Asgard. Odin and Freyja doted on her, and Thor always made her laugh, protecting her and teaching her battle moves even though she was only three.

But Odette Arielle preferred being around Loki the most, and no one was surprised when they found the two to be deep inside Loki's private library, studying magic.

Loki took it upon himself to teach Odette Arielle Old Norse, as well as Norse Runes, while Freyja taught her the art of healing.

It was never odd to see a gorgeous little girl with hair as bright as rubies and eyes glowing like emeralds, run around the garden or the halls of Asgard looking for Loki, or someone from the royal family.

But what did shock the people of Asgard, was when she began hanging around Fandral and Hogun, who had taken a great liking to the fiery spit-fire from the moment they had laid eyes on her. They had even given her a nickname of their own, spýta-eldur, meaning spit-fire in Old Norse

Only the Lady Sif seemed to hate the presence of Odette Arielle in Asgard, but now that she was under the protection of the All-Father, she couldn't do anything about her, but seethe silently and pray that she would just disappear one day.

Little did she know that one day her wish would eventually come true…

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

Odette Arielle Potter was happy.

Ever since she had first met Loki Odinson, her life changed to the better. She stopped caring a lot over the fact that her parents ignored her and her brother hated her, always trying to get her into trouble.

In Potter Manor, she had Daisy to look out after her and keep her company while she was in the library learning Greek and Italian, while practicing wandless magic in charms and transfiguration for years four and five.

Odette also began sleeping more than usual as she couldn't wait to visit Asgard and more importantly Loki.

Loki began teaching her Old Norse as well as runes; spells that she had never heard of before. Thor taught her the importance of weapons and how to battle, promising her that once she was old enough, he would teach her how to spar with a proper sword of her choosing. Freyja kept on mothering her, always making sure she ate properly while teaching her etiquette, something she knew that Lily Potter would never teach her.

Odette was even being taught the art of healing magic with Lady Eir, who happened to be the healer of Asgard.

The All-Father, Odin would teach her some politics and the methods to being a fair ruler, as well as the history of Asgard ever since she told him of the books she found in the Potter Manor library, saying they were naught but myths.

Odin was appalled by how much Midgardians seem to fabricate stories about them, and took it upon himself to teach her the truths instead of the falsities.

Turns out, Asgard was not a planet or alternate-dimension, but another world that serves home to the Norse Gods. It was not round like Earth, which was what they called Midgard, but a flat, asteroid-like mass that has a top surface with a gravitational pull in order to keep the citizens and their cities from floating into the void.

She also learnt that Asgard was connected to two other realms, that Asgardians refer to as the "Nine Worlds", which were; Vanaheim, Alfheim, Nidavellir, Midgard, Jotunheim, Svartalfheim, Hel and Muspelheim. There are nexus portals that exist on each of these worlds except for Midgard, and some of these worlds are in direct contact with the roots of Yggdrasil, the cosmic ash tree that stands in Asgard.

Odin also explained to Odette the importance of the Bifrost, the Rainbow bridge, a portal that allowed the occupants of Asgard to travel to Midgard, that was safely guarded by the guardian Heimdall, brother of Sif, who unlike his sister, was actually polite, respectful and held a certain fondness to Odette.

Loki also explained to Odette the story behind why Sif shared a certain hatred and deep loathing to him.

Like most Asgardians, Sif was born with golden hair, but was turned black after Loki had cut it and replaced it with enchanted hair made by the dwarves.

When Odette questioned why he would do such a thing, Loki told her that he wanted to court the Lady Sif when he was in his middle adolescent years, and Sif had agreed. Loki thought that the Lady Sif was growing to be deeply fond of him, when one day, Loki caught her in the midst of throws of passion with his own brother Thor when he knocked on his chambers.

Loki was broken hearted, especially when he found out that the reason Sif wanted their courting to be kept a secret from all Asgardians, was for fear that Thor wouldn't want to court her himself if he knew his brother was in love with her.

Odette was horrified that Sif was two-timing the two princes in the hopes of being seen as royalty one day, and was touched that Loki never bothered to inform Thor that he was courting her while he was engaging in nights of passion with the Lady Sif – Loki didn't want Thor to lose a great friend, and a lady he was growing to care immensely for.

And so, Loki instead demanded retribution to Lady Sif by ruining her hair that she was extremely fond of and famous for.

Odette found herself disliking the Lady Sif even more after that, and felt pity for Thor, as he was unable to see Sif for the person she truly was. Loki did inform Odette that Thor and Sif were friends now, but usually enjoyed the other's company late at night, but that if it escalated to marriage he would tell Thor the truth.

Another thing Odette liked about Loki was that he did not treat her like a child she actually was, but spoke to her maturely, never playing things down due to her age and being completely honest and truthful with her.

Loki informed her that her appearing at Asgard was a gift she had, called Dream-Walking; it meant that, in her dreams she could travel between different worlds and into other people's thoughts, but once she had matured and her magic became stronger, growing a bond between herself and her magical core – she would be able to enter any realm or place she intended during her dreams whenever she so desired.

Loki promised Odette that once she was older and more in touch with her magical core, he would teach her how to clone herself, and control one of her affinities to ice, as well as teleportation. But for now, she was happy to learn spells, Old Norse and Runes, healing magic, weaponry and history from the royal family.

 **A/N:** **Old Norse:**

 **Lítil stúlka, koma út þaðan vinsamlega – Little girl, come out from there please.**

 **Barn – Child.**

 **Lítil stúlka – Little girl.**

 **Grænn gimsteinn minn – My green gem.**

 **Spýta-eldur – Spit-fire.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Chapter 10:**

The Potter twins fourth birthday was coming up in a week, and the Minister, Cornelius Fudge, was throwing another birthday bash for the Boy-Who-Lived and savior to the Wizarding World, Charlus James Potter.

Never mind the fact that it was also Odette's birthday as well, no one had even thought about wishing her a happy birthday ever since she was two years old, so Odette never expected this year to be any different.

For the first time, Odette had a place to be for her birthday since she knew her parents were going to take Charlus to the Ministry Ball – she would eat a small birthday cake that Daisy had always made for her ever since she was two, with Daisy herself, and sleep early so that she could appear in Asgard and see Loki, as well as Thor, Freyja, Odin, Eir, Hogun and Fandral – who were always so happy and excited to see her, she was practically inducted as an Asgardian.

But Odette knew that there would always be a part inside of her that longs for the attention and love of her biological family. She wanted to be loved like Charlus; she wanted her parents to celebrate at least one birthday with her.

She never cared for material gifts, for Odette, the only gift she had ever wanted from James and Lily, was their love – something that Freyja and Eir would constantly tell her that it was something to be given freely and not earned.

One day, when Odette was taking a break from her studying, she went deeper into the Potter library, looking for a storybook, maybe even a fairy tale she could dip herself into.

Her favorite fairy tale was Cinderella. Oddly enough, Odette felt like she could relate with Cinderella, except she had an evil mother and father instead of one step-mother and an evil brother instead of two step-sisters. For Odette, appearing into Asgard was what she thought Cinderella must have felt when she went to the Prince's ball and Odette imagined Prince Charming to be Prince Loki.

But that day, when Odette was looking for a new story to read, she felt herself get drawn to a worn out book that looked to be a diary, and when she opened it to the first page, she read out, _'Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, welcome you to their diary of secrets.'_

Odette knew Prongs to be her daddy, Moony to be uncle Remus, Charlus' godfather who she had absolutely no memory with as he preferred to be around her brother constantly, but she knew Padfoot to be her uncle Siri, as she had fond memories of herself riding his dog form when she was little less than a year old.

She then remembered Wormtail to be the rat man she hated being around and who disappeared the same night he was babysitting her and Charlus when the bad man came.

Carefully opening the worn-out book, Odette immersed herself into all the thoughts her father and his friends had during their Hogwarts years, she memorized all the secrets of Hogwarts they had discovered, and all the pranks and spells they had created, burning them into her memory.

It was easier for Odette to store away everything new she had learnt, as she had begun practicing her Occlumency shields around four months ago with the help and supervision of Daisy, Loki and Odin.

When Odette reached a certain part of the book, she gasped in excitement, her eyes zooming over the page, trying to absorb the new information she had learned.

It turned out that her daddy and uncles were obsessed over Loki – the God of mischief and lies. It was no surprise really, since she knew her daddy and uncle Siri to have a mischievous streak with a love for anything to do with practical jokes and pranks and a penchant for trouble.

It was a constant occurrence for Odette to hear her daddy talk to her mommy and uncles Remus and Siri that Charlus would grow up to be a prankster like them, breaking as many rules in Hogwarts as they did during their adolescent years.

And so, Odette found herself telling her daddy a month ago that she had met Loki and that he was teaching her magic and Old Norse, in the hopes that he would be proud of her, excited with the prospect of meeting him.

Instead, Odette found herself with many bruises on her face and her back, her daddy's angry face looming above her, yelling at her downtrodden figure with spit flying out of his mouth due to his anger, to not lie about such things, and that she will never have any magic to learn in the first place.

That day found Odette bawling her eyes out, while Daisy tried to treat her wounds. Odette went to sleep early, hoping that she would find herself at Asgard with her Loki and her true family – and much to her happiness, after she had cried herself to sleep, she found herself engulfed into a warm hug by Loki himself.

Freyja and Eir were tut-tutting over her small figure in the healing room as they healed her cuts and bruises, while Loki, Thor, Fandral and Hogun were standing outside waiting for her wounds to be healed so that they could demand to know from her who had dared hurt their fjársjóður.

Odin was much calmer than the two women and four males, but his eyes shone with anger, and Gungnir that rested on his hand, was crackling with power and energy.

But Odette didn't want any harm to befall her daddy, for no matter what he did, she would always love him and remember how much he loved and doted on her before that bad man attacked her, and so, she informed the seven angry gods that it was her brother, and that he usually picked on her and beat her up.

Unfortunately, the gods didn't like to harm children, and since her brother was merely four years old, they couldn't do anything about it, despite how much Loki wanted to.

Loki however, wasn't called the God of Lies for nothing, he knew that Odette was concealing her lies behind truths, something he had taught her months ago, but he respected her privacy and respected the fact that if and when Odette wanted to convey the truth, she would let him know.

Thor, on the other hand, instated Hogun, Fandral and Volstagg – who held no deep ire with Odette, to teach her mortal combat and how to defend herself from any attackers or her brother, if he ever picked on her again – and for that, Odette was thankful.

But now, a week before Odette's fourth birthday, and a week till the birthday bash that was being held in her brother's honor was to occur, Odette found herself in the usual spot she usually used when eavesdropping on her parents, which so happened to be in the air vents itself, and could not be affected by silencing charms.

She listened closely to what appeared to be, her mommy and daddy arguing about something … her.

"You have got to be joking James!" screeched Lily, causing Odette to wince at the shrill octave of her mother's voice.

"Unfortunately I'm not Lils … you didn't hear her," James sighed, a hand raking nervously through his messy raven hair. "She was blabbering some nonsense about Loki, the god of mischief and his brother Thor. I mean come on! She's getting so lonely in this house that she is creating imaginary friends and lying through her teeth to get attention!"

"So let her, once she is old enough and Charlus is in Hogwarts, we'll throw her in some muggle boarding school and let her be someone else's problem!" Lily yelled back, though her eyes held some worry.

"Are you hearing yourself Lily? I know that she is a squib, but she is still our daughter!" said James in astonishment to how cold his wife was being regarding their daughter.

Lily rolled her eyes, "Fine, what do you propose then? Hmm?"

James sat down on his side of the bed, his serious hazel eyes looking into his wife's uncaring green ones, "I propose we take her with us to the Ministry ball next week."

"And have her be seen by everybody we know? Have you become daft?" she demanded.

"Sirius and Angelica will be there to watch out for her, and I'll keep an eye on her as well … no one would talk to her, and even if they do, we'll make sure she doesn't tell them anything about her being our daughter," said James with conviction.

When Lily still looked unsure, James continued.

"We only have to take her out of the house once Lily, and then our problem would be solved … she hasn't been outside of the manor in over a year, it's enough to make anyone crazy and lonely, especially since Sirius and Angelica went to America to visit Angie's family for the duration of her pregnancy."

"Fine James! Fine! But if anything happens, it's your fault," said Lily, pointing a perfectly manicured finger at her husband's chest.

And that was how Odette found herself getting all dolled up by her mommy for the first time in three years for her birthday.

Even though Odette knew her mother wasn't happy to dress her daughter up, Odette basked in the rare situation she was currently in, for she knew that she should enjoy the moment while it lasted as it would never happen again, and Odette found herself feeling grateful to her daddy as it was his idea in the first place.

Odette however, was sad that her daddy didn't believe her when she spoke of Loki, Thor and Asgard … she hoped someday that he would and she couldn't wait for the ball to finish, so that she could appear in Asgard and show Freyja the beautiful dress her mother donned her in.

Odette was wearing a beautiful princess gown that was forest green, reminding her of Loki's eye color, and bringing out the color in her own emerald green eyes. Her hair was lavishly styled into ringlets, and her feet were encased in silver ballerinas.

Her fiery ruby red hair fell down in elaborate ringlets showing a deep contrast to her white, creamy skin and when she was brought down the stairs by Daisy to meet her parents in front of the fireplace, she could have sworn she saw her daddy look at her with awe and pride, before it vanished away as he snapped his head in his son's direction, who began throwing a tantrum because Odette was going with them.

"Ignore her sweetie, she won't be around to bother you, and if she is then you come straight to me, okay pumpkin?" said Lily sweetly, brushing his messy raven hair he had inherited from his father from his forehead, "You just enjoy your time with your friends and don't forget to thank everyone for your presents."

James cleared his throat as he went up to Odette, "Hold my hand, you have never travelled by floo before and I don't want you appearing through someone else's fireplace."

And in a burst of green flames, Odette found herself feeling just like Cinderella, going to the ball for the first time in her life, and wondering if later she would be able to meet up with her Prince Charming, Loki.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

Odette's eyes widened at the sight in front of her, everyone magical from all over Britain seemed to have made an appearance to the ball in honor of her brother.

Odette brushed off the fact, that no one knew she existed and that it was her birthday too, as she watched everyone dancing, drinking and laughing with one another from the spot she had been ordered by her mommy to not move a foot from.

Odette watched in awe as she witnessed a gorgeous couple with identical silver blonde hair and pale aristocratic features, dance with each other; the man was twirling his wife, occasionally dipping her while she laughed – their eyes would occasionally meet, and from the distance she was in, Odette could see that their eyes shone with pure love and adoration for one another, something she had always witnessed when Odin and Freyja were together and shared eye contact.

Suddenly, someone bumped into her, causing her to tear her eyes away from the elegant couple who looked like a fairy tale couple, and found herself looking directly into a pair of warm brown eyes.

"Oh, I-I'm so sorry," the boy stuttered apologetically, his cheeks warming up into a red color as he found familiar emerald green eyes inspecting him.

The boy had dirty blonde wavy hair, was slightly chubby and looked to be about her age. But what endeared her mostly to him, was how his brown eyes held eye contact with her warmly, despite the fact that his cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. It was very different from the hostile looks she usually received from her parents and brother.

"It's okay," she smiled back warmly, hoping to maybe make a new friend without her parents knowing, "I'm Odette P- … oh, never mind, just Odette," she smiled slightly, though it wavered a bit, she nearly said Potter, something she was sure her parents didn't want her to say. She didn't want her daddy or mommy to hit her again as Freyja and Eir would get angry again and she wasn't sure how long she could keep Loki from discovering the truth – he was the God of lies after all.

"Potter?" the boy whispered nicely, and Odette whipped her head to look at his warm brown eyes in shock. "It's okay I know who you are, my name is N-"

"Neville! Oh there you are, don't go running off like that again," a woman who looked exactly like the boy – Neville, came over. She had chocolate brown hair, an olive complexion with a petite nose and slightly chubby cheeks and warm brown eyes that her son seemed to have inherited from her. She also seemed to be favoring her stomach, as one hand was held over it protectively.

"I'm sorry mom, but I saw Odette and I wanted to say hello," said Neville bashfully, getting a huge shocked look from the girl with the huge doe-like emerald green eyes. No one ever wanted to meet her, no one even knew she existed, other than her parents, brother, uncles Remus, Siri and auntie Angie.

"Odette?" Neville's mother asked in shock, "Nev Sweetie, Odette isn't here, I already asked …" her voice trailed off as she saw the tiny little girl standing right in front of her soon, with hair the color of fire and rubies and eyes that was obviously inherited from her best friend.

Odette prepared herself to be scorned, or mocked with hateful looks, but instead, to her greatest shock, Neville's mother's face broke out into a big, friendly smile, "Oh Odette dear, you look gorgeous, it has been a while, your mother didn't say you were coming, happy birthday."

Odette stared at the woman in surprise; she was the first person other than Daisy to have ever wished her a happy birthday.

Remembering her etiquette lessons from Freyja, Odette bowed slightly in a small curtsy and said, "Thank you ma'am, but I'm sorry you seem to know me, but I have no idea who you may be, sorry," she repeated apologetically.

Alice blinked in amazement at the manners and impeccable English being displayed by a four year old – even Neville was gaping at Odette in surprise.

"I'm your auntie Alice dear, your godm-"

"Alice! There you are!" Lily yelled, dragging the train of her ivory dress as she rushed over to her best friend and godson. She was surprised when she saw them conversing with the little squib brat, and hastened over to interrupt them.

"Lils, why didn't you tell me Odette was coming? I would have brought her a present," Alice chastised her friend kindly.

"We didn't want you to bother Ally, with all those presents being gifted to Charlus, we usually split them between him and Odette once we're at the manor," Lily lied expertly through her teeth, but apparently Alice bought it.

"Now come on Ally dear, let us mingle for a bit, Neville sweetie, Charlus was looking for you, how about you tell him hello, hmm?" she continued sweetly, shooting daggers at her daughter once they walked away, leaving Odette all by her lonesome once again.

 _Well that was close. Neville and Alice seemed nice though._

Odette then began searching for the blonde couple she had been watching earlier, but they seemed to have disappeared, instead her eyes were drawn to her bully of a brother who seemed to be picking on a tiny blonde boy with his redhead weasel friend, Ron.

As Charlus shoved the blonde boy and ran off with Ron in search for his other friends, Odette rushed over to help the blonde boy up – it wasn't nice being picked on by her brother, and she felt bad for the boy who had received his ire.

"Are you okay?" she asked cautiously, scared that the little boy would be mean to her. But when the boy looked up, he gave her a half-smile and nodded silently.

He had a pale face, with pointed features and silver-grey eyes.

Just as Odette was about to start a conversation with him, a smooth, husky and elegant voice interrupted, "Draco, are you well? Why did I see you picking yourself up from the ground?"

Odette looked up and squeaked; the man was the same one she had been watching earlier dance with his wife.

Up close he looked quite dashing, like a true noble aristocrat. He had shoulder-length straight silvery blonde hair that were a few shades lighter than his son's, pointed features with a prominent chin and identical silver-grey eyes as his son. All in all, the little boy – Draco, was it? Looked to be a mini-copy of his father.

"I'm alright father; _Charlus Potter_ was picking on me and pushed me," said Draco, spitting Charlus' name like it were a curse, making Odette smile slightly.

But Draco's father's attention seemed to be glued to Odette from the minute he heard her squeak.

"Lucius Malfoy and you are?" he asked smoothly as he introduced himself.

"I'm Odette Arielle P-," the girl's eyes widened slightly, and she bit her lip to stop herself from continuing, "Just Odette Arielle, sir," she said, curtsying slightly, hoping it would cover up the faux-pas she nearly made by saying her full name.

Lucius lifted a delicate eyebrow, the girl had impeccable manners, but why wouldn't she give him her last name, he wondered.

"Well, just Odette Arielle," said Lucius, a smirk plastered on his face, nearly breaking into a smile when the girl giggled cutely, "I thank you for helping my son, you have my gratitude."

"It's no problem Mr. Malfoy, it's not nice to be picked on by bullies," said Odette adamantly, her lips pouting adorably, making Lucius smile.

"Lucius, what is happening here?" A feminine voice called out, standing by her husband, Narcissa and Lucius looked to be the perfect couple.

"Nothing Cissa, Odette here was helping our son out with Charlus Potter," Lucius informed her subtly.

Narcissa studied the little girl carefully; red hair the color of the finest rubies making her stand out in the crowd, creamy pale skin accenting her huge doe-like emerald green eyes framed by thick black lashes, a heart-shaped face and pouty, plump rosy lips – the girl looked like an angel.

Her dress looked to be expensive, hinting that she came from a rich and noble family.

While Narcissa Malfoy was studying Odette, she in turn was looking at Narcissa in awe; blonde hair the exact color as her son's, cerulean eyes neatly framed by elegant lases, and a smooth circle-shaped face with full lips – the woman looked like a goddess, especially in her maroon sweetheart neckline dress that swept around the floor from the back and reached her ankles from the front.

"Odette was it?" asked Narcissa, and Odette nodded nervously under Mrs. Malfoy's unwavering stare, "What did you say your surname was again?"

Odette gulped, she suddenly found herself under the intense stare of all three Malfoys as they looked down on her expectantly, "I didn't, I'm sorry, but I can't say-"

"There you are!"

The Malfoys watched in thinly veiled interest as Odette's eyes widened in fear when James Potter got nearer to them.

"Was the girl bothering you?" James asked the Malfoys, more out of politeness than genuine as a sneer formed on his handsome face upon looking at the Lord Malfoy.

"We were merely inquiring after the girl's name, the kind dear helped our son stave off some bullies after all … you know, your son being one of them," said Mrs. Malfoy smartly, her cerulean eyes glaring into James' hazel one, taking great joy in watching his eyes widen slightly in realization.

"Well, how … _unfortunate_ , but Odette's parents are asking for her, so if you would excuse me," and without waiting for an answer from any of the Malfoy's he grabbed Odette harshly by her left wrist and dragged her off, far away from the Malfoy's as possible.

"Something seems off about them," said Lucius, his eyes following the two's retreating backs.

"Agreed, darling," Narcissa spoke up impassively; but her eyes betrayed her face, showing that she was actually worried for the angelic little girl.

"She looked frightened father," said Draco sadly.

"Yes, well we cannot do anything, it's for her own parents to solve, come along now dear, Draco, let us find the Lestranges," said Lucius, wanting nothing more than to forget what had just happened.

But no matter how much he tried, he couldn't erase the fear he witnessed on the little girl's face from his head.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

Rodolphus Lestrange held a glass of the finest champagne the Minister brought out on behalf of the Potters. Rodolphus swirled the liquid around the crystal glass in a lazy fashion as he looked around his surroundings distastefully.

 _A big birthday bash for the Boy-Who-Lived,_ Rodolphus inwardly seethed.

His dislike towards the Potters was nothing compared to his dear wife, Bellatrix, who was boiling with ill-concealed rage who he had left with his brother Rabastan and sister-in-law Esmeralda.

His son Aaron and niece Rhia were somewhere looking for their cousin Draco with Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott in tow.

The Lestranges couldn't refuse coming to the ball since they had already turned Fudge's invitation down two years ago along with the Malfoys, and it would have looked too suspicious seeing as Lucius, Rabastan, Bellatrix and himself had a hard time convincing the Wizengamot they were under the Imperius curse.

If they kept on avoiding the Potters and all the social events made for them, then the people would begin to talk and so, here they were, pretending that the sun shone from the Potter brat's ass.

In the three years since the Dark Lord's defeat, Bellatrix reverted back to her usual self, devoid of her previous insanity that usually came out when she was in the close presence of the Dark Lord, and for that Rodolphus was thankful.

Everyone stopped calling his wife a deranged lunatic; instead they would pass by her, their mouths gaping in surprise, unable to tear their eyes away from the beautiful and calm woman surrounded by many children. It was safe to presume that everyone could not believe that she was the same Bellatrix Lestrange who had suffered from madness when she was under the Dark Lord's _Imperius curse_.

"Fancy seeing you here, Rodolphus," a baritone voice called out from behind him, and Rodolphus turned around to see himself facing none other than Sirius Black, his wife's cousin. He looked every part the Lord Black, with his elegant silver and black robes showing the Black crest, and his wavy raven black hair tied in a low ponytail.

Sirius' stormy grey eyes were piercing his sea green ones as he said, "Didn't expect you to be a fan of the Potters."

"Come now Sirius, you know we were under the Imperius curse, let bygones be bygones," drawled Rodolphus, an eyebrow raised in challenge.

"Hmm, I'll bite … anyways, the reason I came to talk to you in the first place," Sirius snapped his fingers twice, "Have you seen a tiny munchkin, about yay high, with fiery red hair and eyes the color of emeralds?"

Rodolphus frowned, once again looking at his surroundings, "No … Didn't know you had a redhead as a daughter Sirius."

"He doesn't," a melodic voice called out. Lady Angelica Warren-Black was dressed impeccably in a silver backless gown, her golden blonde hair tied into a tight bun, and in her hands was a little baby girl who Rodolphus presumed to be their newly-born daughter.

She looked to be around three months old, with a few tufts of golden blonde hair, staring at him with big, round stormy grey eyes inherited from her father.

"Lord Lestrange, how do you do?" said Angelica, tilting her head in respect. "May I introduce you to our little angel, Alexia Angelica Black."

Rodolphus bowed in respect, the Lady Warren-Black was an excellent politician and quite the charmer.

"She is a beauty, congratulations Sirius, Lady Warren-Black. You look divine for someone who had just given birth," Rodolphus smiled charmingly.

"Thank you," Angelica beamed, handing over Alexia to her father who looked completely besotted as he looked into her tiny face.

"If you see a tiny redhead with green eyes, let me know, say hello to the wife," said Sirius, taking Angelica's hand to leave.

Five minutes later, as Rodolphus was making his way back to his wife while looking around for his son and niece, he heart a sniffling sound coming from underneath one of the draped tables near an isolated corner.

Pausing in his steps, Rodolphus knelt down slightly and lifted the drapery, only to come face to face with a pair of glimmering emerald green eyes.

Rodolphus hated seeing a little girl cry ever since Rhia's birth, and so, he soothingly spoke to the little girl, "Little girl, come out from under there please."

He found himself being studied under intense emerald eyes before the girl crawled her way out, taking the offered hand and standing up as she brushed her dress from any lint or dust.

Rodolphus found himself staring at a girl fitting the description of the girl Sirius spoke to keep a look out for. Her beautiful eyes were slightly red and her were cheeks blotchy while tears streaked down at a fast-rate down her face – but even though, the girl still looked beautiful.

"Why are you crying little one?" asked Rodolphus kindly.

"I made my daddy mad," she whispered back in a tiny voice, wiping her face with the back of her tiny hands.

"What did you do?"

"I was talking to someone, and daddy didn't like the man, said he was a bad man," she cried out.

Rodolphus frowned; he didn't like the sound of that. He began searching around for Sirius or Angelica – but to no avail.

"What's your name child?"

"Odette," she answered obediently.

"That's a beautiful name … where are your parents?" asked Rodolphus, he wondered why she wasn't playing around with any of the children her age – in fact; she looked to be of the same age as his Aaron.

Odette merely shrugged, and Rodolphus could have sworn he saw a flicker of fear flitter across his face before it disappeared completely.

"Rudy, there you are, I've been looking everywhere for you!" a soprano voice called out.

Odette looked up to see the tall, handsome, well-built man with wavy neck-length chocolate brown hair and sea green eyes embrace a gorgeous skinny woman with a curvaceous figure, onyx black hair that reflected a few dark blue tints, a round petite face and violet colored eyes.

"Sorry dear, but I ran into your cousin and then Odette here, who seems to be lost."

Bellatrix looked at the ruby-haired little girl, and upon seeing the puffy red eyes and tears streaking her face, her expression softened considerably.

But before another word could be traded between the three of them, James Potter, Sirius Black and Angelica Warren-Black who was carrying little Alexia strode into view, and the second Sirius saw his goddaughter, he yelled out her name, ignoring James completely.

Rodolphus and Bellatrix watched as the downtrodden little girl whose face was puckered up in sadness brightened up immensely, her emerald eyes shining with joy, running over to Sirius with an adorable shriek of, "Uncle Siri!"

Sirius knelt down on one knee, catching Odette mid-run and swinging her around in the air in circles, their ears filled with childish giggles of joy and bark-like laughter.

James Potter tried to squash the bubble of envy that threatened to consume him at seeing his daughter so at ease with his best friend. James remembered a time when he was the only one capable of drawing a smile and laughter from her – but that was before she was discovered to be a squib.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

James Potter was so angry, he left the ball early with Odette.

Odette kept pleading with him to let her go, but all she succeeded in doing was having him grip her wrists harder.

Odette knew that it would leave a bruising mark, and she won't be able to use the same lie that it was Charlus to Loki, since it could only be made by someone with a large hand.

"Daddy …" Odette cried pathetically.

"Don't daddy me Odette! You're cavorting with the enemy!" James roared; flinging Odette into the other side of her room, he kicked it closed behind him.

"They're Death Eaters! They worked with the bad man that tried to kill your brother that night!"

"I didn't know," she cried back hysterically.

"I DON'T CARE! You are never leaving your room again … your mother was right, I should have never taken you outside of the house."

"LOKI! Please Loki, help me," Odette cried harder.

James looked at her in bewilderment, "You're crazy! LOKI IS NOT REAL ODETTE!"

And with one last hard smack, James fled from the room banging it closed behind him, ignoring the portraits of the late Lord and Lady, Charlus and Dorea Potter – who were looking at him with complete disappointment and horror.

Odette Arielle Potter was on her knees in her room, crying for Loki over and over again.

Odette felt like she couldn't breathe anymore, she felt suffocated. She felt like she was being pressed into a tube, her eardrums were blasting and before she knew it, she disappeared with a CRACK from her room.

The next thing Odette knew, she was back on solid ground, falling face first down on the floor, and not wanting to throw up on her beautiful dress, she puked on the pavement while her hands clutched onto her hair securely away from her face.

Looking around frantically, Odette didn't recognize her surroundings – she looked to be tucked away in some quiet alleyway and she knew it to be a little past midnight.

Odette was scared, she wanted Loki, and she wanted Thor, Freyja, Odin, Eir, Heimdall, Hogun and Fandral.

She wanted Daisy and Uncle Siri and Auntie Angie.

Just as Odette was planning on hiding somewhere until the sun comes up and then find someone to help her get back home, she heard footsteps approaching her from behind.

An oily, slick voice that held a masculine quality spoke up, "Vell, vell, vell … vhat do ve haff here?"

 **A/N:** **Old Norse:**

 **Fjársjóður: Treasure.**

 **Can anyone guess who the voice at the end belongs to?**

 **Now we reach the moment where everything takes a wild turn in Odette's life, until next time – I will update either tomorrow or the day after.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Thank you all for all the Reviews, I do hope you are enjoying this story …**

 **Some of you asked if I am going to write a lot about her childhood; this is a story about 'The Forgotten Potter', so this story is all about Odette. In this fanfiction I will be writing all about her life before, during and after Hogwarts.**

 **Also, some of you may be confused about how gifted she is … she is the prophecy child and she was gifted by many (Read the first chapter and see what the prophecy says exactly in order to understand). This story is a Powerful and Genius FEM! Potter, she has an eidetic memory and is blessed with many gifts.**

 **Warning:** **I have already written in the summary that this is a Rated M fanfiction, coupled up with Angst, it is extremely M rated. This chapter has MATURE contents, if you don't like it then don't read it – the only reason I am writing this warning is because some may be disturbed by its contents.**

 **I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

 **Chapter 11:**

Odette stiffened at the sound of the stranger's voice, she could tell from his voice that he wasn't a friendly man and that he won't be helping her find her way back home.

Slowly, Odette tilted her face slightly so that she could get a better look at the man that was beginning to emerge from the shadows.

From what she could see, he was of medium-height with muscles protruding proudly from the T-Shirt he was wearing that was slightly ripped. He had oily, wavy black hair that tangled together and black eyes that held no warmth.

The man took three more measured steps toward her tiny figure that was still seated on the pavement, and Odette was able to see a deep scar that looked to be quite old, in the shape of an arc, crudely drawn from the bottom of his left eyelid, and ended at the top of his cheekbone.

Odette's instincts were screaming at her to run as fast as her little legs could carry her, which was far away from the man.

The man noticed the girl's discomfort, and a nasty smile spread across his face, especially when he noticed the calculating look in her eyes as she searched for a way to escape him.

He chuckled, "Vhat are you doing here all alone, malyshka?"

Odette began to feel faint, her eyelids felt heavy and her vision was beginning to blur to the degree where she was starting to see doubles of the man in front of her, she felt the blood rushing to her ears and her body tremble.

Slowly, Odette's head fell down onto the pavement, and just before her eyes drifted shut, she saw the man leering above her with a cruel smile playing on his face showing yellowing teeth, and then she knew no more.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

Odette groaned as she began to wake.

Her head was throbbing, her body weak and her mouth felt dry, like sandpaper.

From what she could tell, her body was laid on something soft … it felt like bedding.

How odd; this was the first time Daisy hadn't woken her up.

She hoped that Daisy would help her with the bruises her daddy left her. Her daddy who had hit her last night; in fact, in all the times that her daddy raised a hand against her, last night was the first time he hit her so hard, throwing her across the room in his anger.

A sob escaped Odette's throat at the memory of her daddy's face from last night, and at that precise moment a greasy voice spoke up a few feet away from her.

"Ah, good, your awake malyshka."

Startled, Odette's eyes flew open, and even though her body was bruised slightly from last night, she scrambled to sit up, her head shifting wildly as she looked for the person that the voice belonged to.

A quick look at her surroundings and Odette found herself to be in a dark, dank, messy room.

The walls were painted a dull brown color, and there seemed to be many cracks and holes in the wall. The curtain was frayed and the bed she was currently laying on was a single, with a white coverlet that had many yellowing holes on it from what looked to be cigarette burns.

The man seemed to have come out from the bathroom when he heard her sob, leaving door ajar behind him.

Avoiding eye contact with the man as much as possible, Odette looked upon herself to see if he had violated her in her sleep; Odette seemed to be kept much intact from last night, in fact she was still wearing her gown from last night, and her hair was still curled into ringlets when she looked at the crack mirror to the man's right. Only her ballerinas seemed to be missing and there was a fresh bruise that looked to be yellowing slightly from where her daddy grabbed her harshly.

"Who- who are you?" asked Odette, finding the courage to speak to the man since he hadn't harmed her when she was unconscious.

The man tilted his head slightly, "You're from the Great Briton? Vhy are you here in Russia without your parents?"

"Russia? No, I'm in England!" said Odette, a horrified look overtaking her face.

The man looked amused, his eyes glittering slightly, his yellow teeth showing clearly, "Hmm, you must 'ave heet your head 'ard malyshka. You are in my country, Russia! Russia, not Briton."

Odette gaped at the man.

Was it possible that she had apparated herself from her room in Potter Manor, all the way to Russia?!

Odette remembered reading in one of the books in the Potter library, that most times when children who hadn't entered Hogwarts yet are in a stressful situation or excited, or even felt threatened or harmed, then their accidental magic could kick in.

Odette was yelling for Loki; after her daddy had hurt her and yelled at her, she wanted to go to Loki, and being with how distressed and hysterical she was, her magic kicked in – but instead of taking her to Asgard, her magic took her all the way to Russia.

Loki was going to berate her once he finds out about this, he kept warning her that until she had matured and gotten used to her magic, and her newfound gift of dream-walking, that she wouldn't be able to travel by will yet – and she had definitely been forcing her magic to take her to Loki last night.

Odette now knew why she fainted; her magic was drained … exhausted with the long distance apparition, her body couldn't stay awake anymore and needed to recharge; but what frightened Odette was that she couldn't feel any magic running through her veins anymore, she couldn't feel magic as a part of her.

Odette didn't know that it would take a long time for her magic to recover, and by the time it did, it would be too late. Magic couldn't protect her now.

"Vhat is your name, malyshka?" the man demanded, he seemed to be getting impatient, all amusement gone from his face as he stared at her intently, his eyes roaming up and down her tiny body.

"Odette," she whispered, her body trembling slightly from the intensity of his gaze.

"Odette Vhat?" the man asked, his heavy footsteps thundering with each step he took as he walked closer to her until he loomed over her.

Odette craned her head backwards, subconsciously scooting her body away from him, to the headboard of the bed, "Potter."

"Vell Odette Potter, my name is Ivan Vanko, let me be the first one to velcome you to my humble abode," said the man … Ivan Vanko, in a dangerously evil voice.

"What are you going to do to me?" Odette wasn't stupid, she knew that the man had no intention of letting her go, and so Odette decided to distract him until she found a way out.

Sitting down at the edge of the bed, his eyes studied her face intently before speaking in a matter-of-fact tone, "You know, I vas in prison. I vas in prison for feefteen years, and I vas just let out a few days ago – it was quite lucky that I found you, no? I have greatly missed the pleasure of a woman's flesh."

"I'm not a woman! I'm only four years old," said Odette, her eyes bulging slightly. Thanks to Loki's tale of what Sif did to him, she knew exactly what Ivan was implying and with him sitting so close, watching her every move, Odette couldn't find a way out without him noticing.

"Being in prison for feefteen years, one learns not to be too picky, and I have always enjoyed a tight cunt, from your size I can tell that I would be delighted vith vhat you have to offer me," he leered at her, his tongue darting over to lick his chapped lips.

A lone tear escaped Odette's eyes, spilling down her cheek and onto the white bedding.

Ivan followed the tear's movement before a grin suddenly appeared on his face, his cold eyes snapped up to meet her watering emerald eyes and said, "and I love it vhen they cry!" before he lunged at her, capturing her body under his big figure.

Odette began thrashing as much as she could underneath him, she was still exhausted after using so much magic.

Odette started screaming as loud as her lungs would allow her, before Ivan pressed his mouth over hers to shut her up, making her choke mid-scream.

He tasted like coffee and cigarettes, and Odette found herself gagging.

Odette's survival instincts began to kick in as she remembered what little Thor, Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg had taught her about mortal combat in case she would find the need to defend herself, the problem was, Ivan was way bigger than her and much stronger, and she was still just a beginner.

Odette bit down hard on the tongue that was still deep into her mouth. She bit hard until she tasted something metallic and Ivan yelled, pulling himself away from her.

She looked up to see blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, and she felt satisfaction as she jumped off the bed and made a quick dash to the door.

Rough and brutal hands caught her by the waist, and she felt herself get hoisted over a buff shoulder, before being thrown down harshly on top of the bed, making the bedsprings creak and her body to bounce off slightly.

Before Odette could collect her bearings, she felt a stone fist hit the side of her face causing her vision to blur slightly and her head to pound. Odette cried out in pain as Ivan grabbed her by an ankle, dragging her downwards to lie below his crouched body.

There was an evil gleam in his eyes as he shoved a hand into his worn out pocket, pulling out a sharp knife and holding it under her neck, causing Odette to halt in her movements and stare at him with wide eyes, pleading him to spare her life.

"Listen to me malyshka," he spat. "You belong to me now! There is no escape from me, and if you try to struggle, I'll only be harsher with you. I don't mind killing you, you vill just be one less girl in the world."

 ******* . *******

Sitting up against the headboard, Ivan opened the drawer from the bedside table and fished out a packet of cigarettes, lighting one up.

Odette watched the foggy smoke exhale from his mouth, filling the air with the smell and foggy white shapes.

Ivan's eyes drifted over to hers and said, "You can go vash up in the bathroom. You have twenty minutes, don't try anything or I von't be pleased!"

Jumping from the bed, Odette picked up what remained of the beautiful gown her mommy dressed her in for the ball and she rushed into the bathroom, ignoring the fact that cold black eyes were following her every move, watching her intensely, and shut the door behind her with a hard slam.

Odette leaned her back against the closed door and slid down; burying her face into her ripped dress she cried her eyes out. She missed Daisy, she wanted her mommy and daddy – even though she knew they wouldn't have noticed her missing from the manor yet.

Looking down at what remained of her dress, she began crying again, a fresh wave of tears, sadness and longing filling her body.

The dress was the color of forest green, the exact same shade of Loki's eyes, and Odette wanted no one more than she wanted her prince right now.

He was her brother, father, protector and best friend all rolled up into one man … one Asgardian prince, and she needed his presence desperately.

Odette didn't know what to do! Her magic was gone, and she knew what with her having apparated from Britain to Russia, her magic core was depleted, and her tiny body needed time to recover as she was still young and fairly new.

She knew that when learning how to apparate, a witch or wizard must start with close distance apparition before they begin traveling long distances so that their body could get used to the new form of traveling.

This was exactly what Loki told her about dream-walking, her magic had to get used to her traveling to where she wanted subconsciously first.

Another thing Odette remembered was that she wouldn't be able to visit Asgard anymore since her magic was depleted. Odette couldn't go so long without seeing Loki; or Thor, Frigga, Odin, Fandral, Hogun, Eir and Heimdall.

Slowly getting up on shaky legs, Odette opened the tap and began cleaning herself with water and soap, wincing when the soap burned her nether regions. She lapped the blood away quickly and then dried herself with a slightly dirty towel that was on the ground.

She felt unclean. Odette didn't believe such things could happen, her mother never warned her of the bad people living in the world, and it was just her luck that she landed in front of the sickest man she ever had the fortune to meet.

Odette needed to find a way out, but how could she after he had threatened her with a knife … she would just have to bid her time until she could find a way out _alive._

Exiting the bathroom, she found Ivan smoking what looked to be his third cigarette while he was lounging comfortably on his bed. He seemed to have put on a pair of boxers while she was in the bathroom and for the first time, Odette could see his toned and muscled body clearly.

They were completely filled with tattoos, leaving no skin bare; from his shoulders to his fingers, his neck till right above his groin and his whole back were filled with dark green ink. From what Odette could tell, the writings were in Russian – but seeing as she hadn't learned Russian yet, she didn't know what they stood for and she didn't want to ask him.

Ivan stared at her with amused eyes as he watched her stare at his tattoos uncomfortably, though with a slight fascination.

Odette, seeing his eyes were on her, folded the ripped dress to her body even tighter, trying to cover up as much skin as possible.

"There is no need for that malyshka, I have already seen everything," he grinned, patting the space beside him on the bed, he looked at her with a warning clear in his eyes and said, "Come here."

Obediently, Odette walked over to him and sat beside him on the bed, making herself as small as possible so that they wouldn't have to share skin contact.

Reaching over to the fabric, Ivan ripped the dress from her body and threw it on his side of the floor, " _I said_ , _you won't be needing it_ ," grabbing her chin harshly, he snapped her head to look at his face directly as he blew smoke above her head, "From now on you wear nothing, ponimayu? I want your body bare at all times."

Frightened, Odette nodded her head quickly, not wanting to upset him … she needed to gain his trust so that she could find a way to escape him.

Odette whimpered and shivered in disgust, hastily looking away and before she knew it, her body tired out from all the abuse it took and she fell limp in his arms, fast asleep.

Ivan grinned as he looked down at his malyshka.

Life was going to be fun now that he had his malyshka as his pet.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

It had been a month since Odette had been kidnapped and then raped by Ivan Vanko, and Odette was getting desperate with her need to escape.

Ivan barely left her alone, since he had no money and no work to go to as he had just been released from prison after fifteen years, he was always at his apartment.

Whenever Ivan would leave her by herself, he would be in his lab, which was two doors away from her. Odette didn't know what he was working on, but occasionally she would hear the sound of metal on metal, or a drill.

Odette missed her magic. Whenever Ivan left her alone or while he was down in his lab, she would practice using her magic, trying to feel the tingles she usually would in her bloodstream – but to no avail.

Odette knew magic was mostly about intent, and so she would fold her legs, sitting comfortably on the bed and focus on her meditation and Occlumency shields, hoping that she would feel a tingle or spark of magic.

The problem was that she felt continuously threatened. Being around Ivan was not good for her magic, and she knew that if it came back, that it wouldn't last long as she was constantly being abused and raped. She was too traumatized, and was currently living in an unsafe environment.

Until Odette was safe, her magic wouldn't be able to heal.

And so, Odette spent most of her time thinking of a way of escaping Ivan Vanko.

To no avail.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

A man known as the instructor with a little redhead by his side, and they stood in a large training area with many equipment littered around in corners.

The redhead was watching a few girls sparring with each other, and her eyes widened at the incredible speed used while fighting.

The instructor held the redhead to his side, keeping a hand on her shoulder as he yelled, "FORM UP!" causing the group of girls to stand in front of him.

The instructor, known by the name of General Pyotr Petrovich, addressed the girls about the new recruit – the little redhead.

He then addressed the redhead, "You're my new student, the first thing you need to know; either I or my brother Pavel tell you to do something, you do it without question, understood?" he barked, looking directly at her emerald eyes. She nodded quickly, fear lighting up her features.

Suddenly Petrovich lashed out, striking her face.

The redhead fell to the floor, her cheeks stinging and her lip was split. She stared up at the instructor, Pyotr Petrovich with fear and tears running down from the corner of her eyes.

"When I ask a question, I expect a verbal answer, also the first and last word to come out of your mouth should be either 'sir' or 'master', is that clear?" he asked calmly, staring down intently at the child and her expressive emerald eyes.

The redhead nodded quickly and replied, "Sir yes Sir."

The redhead slowly got back up on her feet and turned her attention back to the scary instructor, her eyes looking around for a way out. Petrovich's voice alerted her back as he commanded her to join the back row, and the little redhead scrambled to obey, taking her place to a girl who looked her age but had black hair.

Petrovich continued to shout out commands to the other girls, and the redhead copied them. Hours passed and she was tiring quickly; she stumbled but quickly recovered as the girls began a new routine.

At long last, the instructor yelled at them to stop, and all the girls stood quickly, facing their attention to Petrovich, all save the redhead's face were completely expressionless. The redhead however, was looking frightened, exhausted and relieved for the small reprieve, glad that it was over.

Petrovich noticed and he stalked up to her, making her cower in fear. Grabbing her by the hair, he dragged her out of the formation and over to several guards that were placed around the room. Shoving her into them, he ordered, "See to it that she understands that feelings are not allowed here; if she cries continue the lesson until she stops. Understood?"

The guards nodded before grabbing the redhead's hands and dragging her out of the room. They dragged her down several dreary corridors before shoving her in an empty cell, slamming the door shut behind them, and effectively trapping her.

One guard grabbed her arms and viciously twisted them behind her back, she cried out in pain which only made the guard twist them further and the second guard suddenly began to punch her unprotected stomach repeatedly.

The redhead began to scream in pain as a rib cracked.

The punishment continued, the first guard dropped her and they both proceeded to kick her as she curled up into herself in an attempt to protect herself while she sobbed the entire time.

Time passed and slowly she stopped crying as she lost unconsciousness; the girl felt something in her veins rush to try and protect her, before feeling her exhaustion and distress and retreating further, disappearing completely.

The guards continued for a while after the redhead had passed out, before dragging her to a room and calling a doctor to check in on her.

The redhead later woke up in pain; every inch of her small body was on fire, and she looked around, unsure of where she was before the events of the previous day caught up with her.

She slowly dragged herself up and began inspecting her body. Bruises littered her arms and legs, and she could feel a tight bandage over her stomach where the first guard repeatedly punched and kicked her in, and she knew she had at least one broken rib.

A sound outside alerted her to someone's presence; the door opened and General Pyotr Petrovich and a slightly smaller man that looked somewhat identical to him walked in – she knew him to be his brother, Pavel he spoke off at the beginning.

They stopped a few steps away from her, staring intently, before Pyotr spoke up, "Do you understand why you were punished?" his voice was hard and cold, lacking all emotions.

The redhead involuntarily took a step back at his icy tone before replying, "Yes Master."

"And why, pray tell, where you punished," he pressed on, taking a measured step closer to her.

"I showed my emotions. Emotions have no place in my life anymore," she spoke quietly, trying her hardest not to show fear or even a sliver of emotion while looking directly at the floor.

The two brothers studied her intently, before Pyotr nodded his head and said, "Good."

As he and his brother turned to leave the room, Pyotr spoke in a chilled voice, "Welcome to the Red Room, Odette Potter."

 **A/N:** **Russian: Malyshka: Little girl.**

 **Ponimayu: Understand.**

 **I bet no one thought that it was Ivan Vanko! Who knew he was a pedophile?**

 **I hated writing this chapter, I don't like seeing poor Odette suffer, but it was vital to the story.**

 **Now I know that you're all disgusted by the rape of a four year old girl, but guess what? This shit actually does happen in real life. There are plenty of little girls who are younger, and are being raped by disgusting pedophiles. So I thought, how about Odette being one of them? I had to delete this chapter at the beginning because I made it too graphic, and so I edited it and added more to the chapter to make up for my mistake and to appease you all :D LOL!**

 **I know that Odette is already suffering with her parents, and you're wondering why I made her suffer through rape now, and the answer is simple … it is important to the story. This is an angst story people, it won't be a childhood filled with rainbows and butterflies for Odette, but it would shape up her personality.**

 **Odette had to get raped at an extremely young and vulnerable age not just because it is important I my future chapters, but because it's a turning point for Odette and it shapes up her new personality.**

 **Odette needs to suffer and go through many trials in her life before things get better and she gets strong and powerful … don't worry I promise that in the later chapters you'll connect the dots and see why this chapter is important.**

 **Also, I know that some may be confused about the end of the chapter and how she got to be from Ivan Vanko to the Red Room, but it will be explained in the next chapter which I will have up in a few hours.**

 **One last thing (I'm sorry for all the blathering, LOL), I don't know if Pyotr is the General Petrovich's actual name, and yes he doesn't have a brother called Pavel but it is my fanfiction and I created them as they are important to the story and adds background and future plots.**

 **Please, please, please don't hate me for this chapter.**

 **I hope you enjoy the next chapter which will be out in two days!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Chapter 12:**

Odette Potter wanted out, she had been in the Red Room for a month already, and she was already punished four times for letting her emotions show. If General Pyotr Petrovich saw her eyes beginning to shine with the beginning of tears, he would throw her back into the cell and have the guards continuously beat her.

But today, Odette had had enough and so, she defied Pavel during one of their training lessons.

A fist came out of nowhere, striking Odette in the stomach, immediately followed by a swift kick before she had the chance to regain her breath, making her fall flat on her back.

"You do NOT defy me Odette! Do you understand? You know that you cannot escape, and you know that it will gain you nothing but more pain, so why continue this act of defiance?" and with that Pavel placed his boot over her wind pipe, increasing the pressure with every word he spoke.

"Perhaps, she needs another lesson in obedience Pavel," stated Pyotr. "Take her to her usual cell guards, we will join you shortly."

The guards dragged her down the same bleak corridor as always before reaching the cell she was starting to memorize and throwing her in a heap on the cold metal floor.

Pyotr and Pavel walked in one hour later with a large box. One guard stepped forward, taking the box from instructor Pyotr while Pavel walked over to where Odette lay. Crouching down in front of her, Pavel grabbed her chin tightly, forcing her emerald green eyes to look up at his icy blue ones. "You will learn obedience, Odette," he coldly told her.

"Take off her top," Pyotr yelled at his men.

Odette fought back as they ripped her clothes off of her, the moment throwing her into a flashback of her first night with Ivan Vanko and she began thrashing around until one guard gave Odette a quick blow to the side of her head, making her compliant; she stood in naught but her trousers glaring harshly at the men in front of her.

Pyotr walked behind her, pushing her onto her knees, barking orders to the guards to hold her down while Pavel turned his attention to the box, taking out a long coiled leather whip before getting to position and without another word, he began to strike her exposed back.

Odette screamed as the men held her down, thrashing around in agony, but it was in all in vain as she couldn't escape their strong clutches, especially that many of them.

Time held no meaning as Odette screamed with every fresh whip against her back. Pain was all she knew until the blissful moment where the sound of the whip hitting her skin halted.

"Release her," she heard in the background, from whom? She couldn't tell anymore, as pain rang in her ears. "Two hundred strikes Odette … next time, it will be four hundred," Pavel informed her coldly before leaving the room with his brother and the rest of the guards; leaving her alone on the cold, bloody floor.

That was the first time Odette paid for her disobedience in blood, and she made no haste to repeat it again. She knew she was stuck in the Red Room with no way out and that if she kept defying them, then they will one day end her life. She was not worth the trouble to them and they had more girls than needed in the Red Room.

It was due to Ivan Vanko that Odette found herself to be in the Red Room in the first place. Odette thought that if she was obedient to Ivan and made herself pliable to his demands and all he did to her without complain, that he would one day either get bored of her, or trust her completely giving her a chance to escape once he let his guard down.

But that didn't happen, instead five months of staying with Ivan Vanko in his dark and dank room, Ivan decided that she would make a great trade for money, as he had gotten bored of her. He went to General Pyotr Petrovich and his younger brother Pavel, and informed them of a pliable four year old girl that he had raped and imprisoned against her will.

They paid a pretty price for her as well once they found out that she could speak six languages, and was beginning to understand a bit of Russian, as well as having an eidetic memory; and so Odette Potter was immediately inducted into the Red Room.

Ever since she had been whipped by Pavel, Odette still had instances where she had to be punished, but never to the extent of drawing blood again; every slight infraction on her part resulted in pain and after a while, Odette was never punished twice for the same reason – she had always been a fast learner and she knew that disobedience would not help her to escape.

Odette found out that the Red Room trained little girls to grow up into the greatest assassins alive, something that Odette didn't want, but couldn't refuse for fear of being flogged in an act of defiance. The ones who were weak and didn't succeed during physical training lessons, ended up as corpses – and so, Odette trained hard and learned quickly, not wanting to end up dead.

Five months into being inducted into the Red Room, Odette walked into the training room which was empty save for her instructors Pyotr, Pavel and another girl.

Pyotr turned to greet Odette with a nod, "Odette, today the two of you will fight each other. No weapons are permitted save for your body. BEGIN!"

The two girls instantly dropped into their fighting stance, warily circling each other. Odette was trying to find a weakness in the girl just as the other girl struck first, delivering a stunning blow to her side, to which Odette had immediately blocked and retaliated with a kick of her own.

After an hour of fighting and blocking from both girls, Odette feinted to the girl's left, before changing direction of her fist to the right. The fist struck the girl's side with a resounding crack a several ribs broke. Using the moment of weakness, Odette leapt over the girl and placed her in a choke hold from behind.

The girl knew she lost and gave up, and Odette looked at Pyotr and Pavel for further instruction.

Pyotr walked over to the two girls and with a cold look to the fallen girl, he spoke to Odette, "Finish her."

Odette's eyes widened in surprise. She had never killed before, and even though she knew that the Red Room trained the girls to be the most dangerous assassins, she didn't think they would make her start two months before her fifth birthday.

With one last looked at Pyotr, Odette sharply twisted her arms and the girl fell limp to the ground; her neck broken.

Five months of being in the Red Room made Odette an expert in hiding her emotions, and so she stepped away from the dead girl facing her whole attention to Pyotr; no sign of the raging emotional battle that was her inner turmoil was being displayed on her face.

Pyotr and Pavel took it in turns to study Odette, before Pavel stated, "Next time, you will not hesitate."

"No, master I will not," Odette said softly, her eyes glaring onto the floor.

"You will not what Odette?" Pyotr further questioned her.

Her voice cold and hard, lacking all emotion, she replied, "I will not hesitate a second time."

Pyotr nodded, a cold smile on his face, "Dismissed." Odette then bowed to them both and left the room; not once did she look back at the life she just took.

That was the last time Odette cried in the Red Room ever again. The day after Odette's first kill, she became fast friends with a girl much older than her, she was eleven of age with onyx black hair and olive green eyes; her name was Zelda.

Zelda became like the sister Odette never had, and she would always take care of her and look out for like any older siblings should, especially whenever she was coming back from a punishment or from killing another girl during training.

By the time Odette turned five, she had been in the Red Room for seven months and was already extremely fluent in Russian and an expert in Geography – she was punished if she took too long to answer and plot distances in a map of any country, and so she learned quickly. She also learned math and other languages, and was an expert in full combat and knife throwing – regardless of her age and size.

One month after Odette turned five; she began feeling indifferent to killing people. Pyotr and Pavel had her spar with a girl once a week, and every time Odette succeeded … she didn't even need the order from the Petrovich brothers to finish her opponent, she did it automatically.

Odette was also taught the Art of Interrogations, its many forms and its uses. There was physical interrogation, mental interrogation which was also known as psychological torture. Odette learned that psychological interrogation is more successful than physical torture because even though it may take longer to achieve the goals, it gets more reliable information out of a subject as they would feel as compelled to tell you what you would want to know. Physical torture however, one might have a high pain threshold and the interrogator could end up waiting for days and there would be no guarantee that the truth would come out.

Four months into the sisterhood that Odette and Zelda formed, and they got caught since emotions were not allowed in the Red Room. It turned out a snooty girl called Yasmine snitched on them – she went over to Generals Petrovich and told them all about Odette and Zelda's friendship and how close they were with each.

One week later, late at night, Pyotr and Pavel each grabbed a girl and forcibly dragged them outside into the rain without a word being said. Zelda rushed over and put an arm comfortably around Odette's smaller form while they both glared at their masters.

"You girls are a disgrace. Traitors! The both of you!" Pyotr yelled furiously. After he had vented his anger at the two girls, he spoke in a calmer voice, "One of you will get another chance. You will fight each other. To the death, and if you refuse to fight, then the both of you will die."

Pavel watched them closely as horror became etched onto their faces. "Will you fight?"

The girls knew they had no choice and so they grudgingly nodded and two knives were thrown between them; they each picked one up respectively and held their stances.

After wasting time circling each other, Odette noticed that Zelda was fighting fiercely, she barely had time to block her attacks, and so she whispered, "What are you doing?"

Zelda smiled sadly at her, "I know you won't attack me like you would another opponent unless provoked." She launched herself into the air to kick Odette, but she ducked; and that was when Odette knew. She knew that Zelda wanted her to kill her so that she could survive, and a look of horror became more pronounced on Odette's usually emotionless face.

"Dee, you're my sister, and as an older sister it is my job to protect you … kill me!" hissed Zelda, pleading with her to end it.

Odette threw everything she had into her punches and easily slipped through Zelda's defenses, quickly disarming her and knocking her back on the floor with her leg pushed onto her windpipe. Looking up at Pyotr and Pavel, she begged them with her eyes not to make her kill Zelda – but they ignored her with identical icy looks in their blue eyes.

"End it Odette," Pyotr barked coldly.

Holding in a sob, Odette approached her fallen sister; knife in her hand. Cradling Zelda in one arm, she whispered softly that she was sorry before slicing her neck in one fell swoop.

As Zelda took her last breath, she choked out, blood dripping from her mouth, "Don't be, I-I l-l-love you D-Dee," before becoming completely emotionless, her eyes staring skywards, her olive green eyes dead and frozen.

That was the day something snapped within Odette, and she knew that she would never be the same again. Darkness consumed her, not one trace of warmth could be seen in her and happiness never lingered for long in her. The minute they had her kill Zelda and shut the door after her, they killed Odette's humanity along with her.

Her usually expressive emerald green eyes that always danced with emotions were cold and unfeeling. One glare would scare the other girls in the Red Room making them flinch back and shiver at the icy depths, and whenever Odette would set her sharp emeralds onto Yasmine's onyx ones, Yasmine knew that she had gained a deadly enemy.

As punishment for showing emotion and befriending Zelda they locked her into a dark room and every day Pyotr or Pavel would personally come in and torture her. For five months, all Odette knew was pain and every time she screamed or cried, they would double in their torturing methods.

The Petrovich brothers were very creative in torturing her. They took it in turns in drowning her for twenty-four hours with only a five second breather before dunking her head back into the water. Another day, Pyotr took out a hammer and a long needle, before jamming the needle into her nail with the hammer until only the tip of the needle was visible – and when Odette screamed with raw pain and cried, Pyotr added another needle to her next nail until she stopped showing pain and emotion completely.

The only time she had a reprieve from the torturing sessions, was when she had to go to the medical wing and have the doctor stitch her up. And it was an endless cycle for five months.

When Odette's five months of physical torture was over, she was completely emotionless and a killing machine with no humanity whatsoever and revenge for the future clouding her brain.

Generals Pyotr and Pavel Petrovich knew at that moment, that they had created a monster, a dangerous and magnificent monster.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

Two months since the Petrovich brothers ended Odette's punishment, and they were right in their assessment when they said they had created a monster. They began sending her out on missions even though she was not yet six years of age, as no one would expect an assassin at such a young age, the victims never saw their death coming; it was swift and Odette seemed to have an affinity to the shadows, she would always hide and move in between the shadows and thus never got caught.

One day, Pyotr and Pavel led Odette into the bright room, where a group of doctors stood waiting for her as the three of them entered. There was a table and a smaller table next to it, the top was covered with syringes and if Odette could show emotions, she would have flinched – she never liked needles.

Ignoring the Petrovich brothers and everyone in the room, Odette walked over to the table and lay down without question. The doctors swarmed over her, making sure the restraints were firmly in place and they hooked her to a heart monitor.

"How good are her chances, Doctor?" Pyotr asked.

The doctor nervously wrung his hands, "Er – I don't know General. No one else but Black Widow has survived, and we used a different serum for her at the time, therefore I have no way of comparing how good her chance at surviving this is."

The doctor flinched back as Pyotr and Pavel threw him a murderous look; "Remember if she dies, then so do you," Pavel reminded him threateningly.

The doctor paled, "This procedure will be very painful."

Pyotr sighed and gestured for him to get started. Odette merely laid down, blankly taking all the information in without a care in the world.

The doctor picked up the first syringe and injected it into her arm, pressing the plunger down; he injected the serum into her body. Odette tensed up, her body felt like it was burning from the inside and it took everything she had not to scream.

The doctor glanced nervously at the Petrovich brothers before picking the second one. After the fourth syringe was injected into Odette's body, she felt her blood turn from hot to cold and then rotating back to hot, making her nerve system extremely sensitive to pain – and her barrier exploded.

Odette began screaming bloodcurdling yells, causing the doctors to share nervous looks. The doctor however, didn't stop in his ministrations and continued to deliver more and more of the serum into her body; increasing the pain twenty times each time he did so. Her heart rate shot over the roof and the monitor began letting out an incessant beeping.

Hesitating with the last syringe in his hand, shooting a worried glance at Pyotr and Pavel who remained motionless throughout the whole ordeal, he fed the last of the serum into Odette's bloodstream.

The worst thing of all for Odette, was that she did not lose consciousness and by the time the last of the serum was injected into her, her voice was hoarse with tears streamed all over her face – she felt like she was drifting off from the world, but she kept fighting back. She was a survivor and she will keep on surviving through this. But even her willpower to live couldn't stop her heart beat from rapidly slowing down and an hour after the last syringe was delivered, she lost consciousness and the heart monitor flat lined.

The doctors quickly undid the straps holding her in place and began CPR for thirty minutes with no break, the doctors wouldn't give up, but it was no use.

The Doctor choked up slightly, avoiding eye contact with the Petrovich brothers, he looked down at his watch and said, "Time of death, 14:24."

Pyotr stepped forward, his face as hard as stone as he pulled out his gun and aimed it in between the doctor's eyes.

Just as he was about to pull his trigger however, a faint beeping drew his attention. Startled, everyone in the room stared at the unmoving figure that lay dead on the slab and the beeping grew stronger. Rushing over, the doctor began putting his fingers to her wrist; feeling a pulse he let out a shout of joy that she was alive.

Pyotr approached Odette and with a half-smile on his face he asked, "How do you feel?" Odette was one of their best recruits and had the making of being the most dangerous and greatest assassin, so Pyotr and Pavel were relieved that she had made it.

"Strange," she replied truthfully, "My entire body itches, especially my stomach and my back."

The doctors frowned, and after removing Odette's shirt, they gasped in amazement. Odette's stomach and back were completely bare. Every scar that was ever inflicted onto her person had disappeared.

For the next month, Pyotr and Pavel had Odette put through difficult tests, but she surpassed all their expectations.

Not only had the serum accelerated her healing, but she found that her strength and agility had also been greatly increased as well as her senses. Odette had an eidetic memory, so therefore the serum helped sort out her Occlumency shields, making them neater and stronger to the extent that nobody could ever break through her mind defenses without her express permission.

The serum never worked for any of the other girls, and so the Petrovich brothers began sending Odette on more dangerous missions, playing her cute five year old persona to the full degree in order to achieve success.

It was two months before Odette's sixth birthday when everything changed for Odette. As she woke up to start a new day, she caught a sight of her reflection in the mirror and nearly screamed, but was thankfully able to hold it in. For instead of her reflection looking back at her, a blue-haired girl with yellow eyes seemed to be staring at her from inside of the mirror.

Odette began touching her face for any other changes, and just as she thought of her natural hair and eye color, it changed right before her eyes, the same with her hair.

Odette began recalling a memory of her two year old self, memories that she had long ago buried deeply into the back of her head, but began rushing out. She remembered her godfather Sirius telling her that he had a cousin that was a born metamorphmagus and that they were extremely rare, but apparently ran in the blood of the Black family – blood that ran through her veins from her paternal side.

Sitting down slowly on the bed she'd been calling hers for the past few months ever since her five month punishment ended, Odette began thinking – is it possible that she was a metamorphmagus?

Just as she had finished that thought, her hair began turning pink. Quickly imagining her natural ruby red hair, she sighed in relief as it turned back. Odette had long given up on restoring her magic; she thought it had gone forever.

Apparently not.

Thinking of the days when she had practiced wandless magic with Daisy in the Potter library, she tried for a wandless _lumos_ ; opening her eyes she stared in shock at the ball of light that was floating in her hand.

Odette had her magic back! That meant that she could leave the Red Room; she would always be grateful for them in making her stronger and a better person with more of a backbone instead of that weak sniveling little girl she used to be who was so desperate for her parent's attention while they doted on her spoilt brat of a brother.

The problem was that Odette didn't dare try to apparate again unless she was with someone that would be able to look out for her or until she had full control of her magic.

That was when she thought of Loki, but then she squashed away that thought like a bug; she knew that seeing Loki would bring back a rush of emotions from her past, from the life of the girl she used to be and Odette didn't want that – she wanted to be alone in the outside world for a while before seeing the people of her past.

And so, in the confines of her room, Odette began practicing her magic all over again, and she was pleased to see that her magic was stronger than ever before. Her magic sang to her, it was practically vibrating in her veins, as if it were happy to be reunited with her.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

It had been twenty months since Odette had been inducted into the Red Room, and she was a completely different person compared to the little girl who went to her first ball in her pretty forest-green gown that was grudgingly put together by Lily.

In Odette's mind, she no longer thought of James and Lily as her parents, merely the sperm donor and incubator that helped in bringing her into the world.

Magic-wise, Odette had full control over her magic; it no longer controlled her and she was confident that she would never have another bout of accidental magic again without her permission.

Odette even tried dream-walking, but she didn't dare go to Asgard for fear that someone would see her or sense her, and she wasn't ready yet to confront the loved ones from her past – after Zelda, Odette was happy with not feeling any emotion other than neutrality; Odette dream-walked into Pyotr and Pavel's office with complete success, and Odette knew that she could now travel at will.

Odette also tested her metamorphmagus ability, and after weeks of trying everything, she found out that she could take a wide variety of forms; she could change her sex and age – looking like anyone she so desired, and she could change her complete appearance with ease. Odette found that all it took was complete concentration and since she had already mastered Occlumency and had no problem with emotions, Odette found herself getting used to her metamorphmagus abilities easily with no difficulties at all.

This was all essential for her plan in escaping the Red Room.

Odette was no idiot, she knew that the minute Pyotr and Pavel got word or even a whiff that she had escaped from them, that they would waste all resources looking for her as they had wasted all their time training her and she was the only one that survived the serum.

It was during the twentieth month of Odette's initiation into the Red Room, when a plan of escape finally came through.

Pyotr asked her to travel with Bröshka and Yvanne to Germany. Their background information was that Odette was to be their daughter, and they were going to be staying in a suite in the Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin, no expenses. Their mission was to break into the suite Mark Adbergh was staying in and stealing a chip containing information on some important and expensive weapons.

This was just too easy for Odette; this was her ticket away from Pyotr, Pavel, Ivan and all the memories of Zelda.

Speaking of Zelda, Odette had one last thing to do before she left with Bröshka and Yvanne to the Red Room's private jet.

Odette entered her room, placed a wandless extension charm on her suitcase and packed everything into it with a wave of her hand, making sure that nothing remained behind as she wasn't ever coming back. Leaving her suitcase by the door, she walked stealthily and confidently to the end of the corridor and found the door to Yasmine's room locked.

Whispering the Alohomora charm, she slipped inside the room and found Yasmine soaking herself in the tub, the water reached to her neck and her eyes were closed as she enjoyed its warmth.

Odette went through Yasmine's drawers quietly finding one of her throwing knives; she grabbed it tightly and entered the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the tub with her legs crossed, waiting for her to open her eyes.

A minute later, Yasmine opened her eyes and nearly had a heart attack at the sight of Odette staring back at her, her eyes were cold and calculating and a cruel smile was displayed on her face as she twirled her own pocket knife in one hand.

"Hello Yasmine," said Odette in an icy voice.

"What are you doing in my room?!" she yelled back in a braver voice that she felt; deep inside she was terrified, everyone knew to stay as far away from Odette as possible.

"Keeping my promise," upon seeing Yasmine's face pucker into confusion, Odette rolled her eyes and spoke in a fake dramatic voice while waving her hands around, "You see Yasmine darling, when you ratted me and Zelda out to Pyotr and Pavel, you set a death sentence upon our heads, and when my sister in all but blood forced me to kill her so that I could survive, I made a promise," here Odette snapped her eyes to meet Yasmine's onyx ones, her cruel smile becoming more pronounced, "A promise to kill you!"

Yasmine backed up as fast as a whip to the back of the tub and stuttered, "B-but why now? I-I mean, this all happened months ago!"

Tracing the tip of the knife playfully across Yasmine's forehead, Odette said in a mocking voice, "Because I am leaving the Red Room, malyshka. Actually I'm escaping," she added as an afterthought, "and I couldn't bear to leave without telling you goodbye." She finished in fake cheer.

"You'll never get away with it! They'll find you; the General Petrovichs will find you!" Yasmine hissed desperately.

"I know," Odette's eyes glittered with malice, "but I will make sure I have years ahead of them, and when they do find me, I'll kill them," she then smiled mockingly, "Goodbye Yasmine."

Odette swung her hand deftly to the right, effectively ending Yasmine's pathetic life in one fell swoop; unlike Zelda however, she didn't have the chance of speaking any last words, as Odette made sure to snuff her life harshly, leaving her no mercy.

Odette's emerald green eyes darkened with malice as she stared at the dead body of her enemy, and she threw the knife that was in her hand into the depths of the now-red water; without another glance, Odette washed her hands by the sink and walked out of the room.

Collecting her suitcase, she left her private room for the last time ever, mentally saying goodbye to the Red Room, Pyotr and Pavel.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

Upon reaching Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin, the three assassins were exhausted after the six hour flight and they immediately laid down in their respective rooms located in their suite for a short nap.

Odette knew that she couldn't immediately make her escape, and so she laid low, waiting for the perfect opportunity – which so happened to be the day they were set to steal the chip from Mark Adbergh's suite.

Bröshka went down to the reception to pay for their suite as they were leaving after they had lunch in the hotel's double Michelin-star restaurant.

Yvanne was beginning to get her weapons ready in case Adbergh happened to be in his suite when she felt a stabbing pain in her abdomen. Looking down, she found one of her throwing knives impaled deeply into her stomach, almost exiting through her backside.

Yvanne fell down on the floor, she had an estimation of thirty seconds left to live, something she was sure Odette knew and made sure of; she knew as assassins of the Red Room that they could handle and fight in any injury except for a deathly one.

"I'm sorry I had to kill you, but I had to, I want to leave the Red Room, and this is my only way out. I hope you live happily on the other side," said Odette softly, even though her voice was soft, her eyes were cold and sharp and she held no remorse.

Making sure she hadn't dripped any blood onto her clothes, the six year old assassin hid under the shadows in the suite, waiting for Bröshka to arrive.

Five minutes later, she heard the assassin trudging heavily into the room, "Yvanne, Odette, let's do – holy shit?! Yvonne? What happened, Yvanne?" he ran over to his friend's body.

Odette rolled her eyes. The man was an idiot, one of the worst assassins ever, which was better for her. What kind of assassin turns his back to the room when there is a murderer at large?

Silently, Odette got out of her hiding place and without alerting him to her presence; she slipped a hand around Bröshka and pressed the metallic part of the knife against his throat.

"Rule number one of being an assassin Bröshka, never show any emotions," said Odette coldly, although she had a humorless smile on her face, "The Masters won't be pleased."

"Why?" hissed Bröshka harshly.

Odette knew that he was actually curious to know why she was killing people from her own side, but she could also tell that he was trying to delay time and find a way out alive. Odette smiled in amusement, though her eyes were still cold, "I know what you're up to, but I'll bite … I want out of the Red Room, I didn't ask for this life and honestly I don't give two shits about all this Mother Russia crap the Petrovich brother spew about."

Placing a silent binding charm on Bröshka in case he managed to overpower her, Odette continued, "I've nothing against you and Yvanne, but you weren't exactly going to allow me to walk out that door, were you?"

"You could have escaped anytime," he snarled pushing slightly against her, only for Odette to add pressure and a few droplets of blood to leak out. "We weren't together all the time, you could have fled anytime."

"You think I didn't think of that?" Odette mock-laughed before snarling into his ear, "Do you think that Pyotr and Pavel would allow you to leave Germany without me? DO YOU?! The Petrovichs were obsessed with me since that sick freak Ivan Vanko sold me to them, since then they haven't let me out of their sights. Well … I … Want …. OUT!" and with one great swish, Odette ended Bröshka's life, his body falling over Yvanne's.

"Even together in death, how sweet," said Odette sarcastically in a sing-song voice as she stared at the two assassins in disgust, "and they call themselves assassins, what was Pyotr and Pavel thinking, they weren't even a match against me," she muttered to herself.

With her magic, Odette erased all evidence of herself ever being in this room – burning all fingerprints, especially from the hilts of the two knives she used. Odette used Yvanne's knives in the hopes of them thinking she murdered Bröshka and then commit suicide, but even Odette thought it was too far-fetched, she didn't plan it perfectly to look like a suicide.

Summoning all the money that Bröshka and Yvanne had on them, Odette shrunk her suitcase, placed it inside her pocket, and with her metamorphmagus abilities transformed herself into a woman about five feet tall with dull brown hair and eyes, before walking out of the suite and the hotel, five thousand dollars richer … it would do, for now.

Breathing in the smell of fresh air, Odette smiled a true genuine smile for the first time since Zelda's death.

 _Hello Freedom, Goodbye Red Room,_ Odette thought happily as she made her way through the streets of Berlin.

 **A/N:** **Okay, this was quite a long chapter; it took me hours to write especially the part in the Red Room. I didn't want to split it into two chapters as I wanted to finish this chapter of Odette's life. Don't worry next chapter will be a filler of sorts, explaining why no one was able to find Odette and what Odette will do next in the streets of Berlin.**

 **Odette is kind of a cold-blooded killer huh? Was she scary, because that's exactly what I was going for, LOL.**

 **With everything that happened to Odette from Ivan Vanko to the beatings in the Red Room, not to forget kidnapping her, them making her kill Zelda, who so happens to be her sister (Blood or not, it makes no difference) that triggered everything and made it too much for her.**

 **Odette is a girl starved for love and a family, and it seems that every time she manages to find it, it gets taken away from her – so that would mess with her trust issues, don't you think?**

 **One last thing, when I had Odette tell Bröshka that she doesn't care about Mother Russia; if anyone reading this is Russian I mean no offence, I like Russia, but it was just for the sake of the story. I mean I'm pretty sure that Odette wouldn't be in any rush to return there after everything that happened to her, but no I like Russia, not saying anything bad about it AT ALL! =)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Just a little note, some people are asking me why I had Odette get raped, I will say again that later on in the story it will be explained but not until further chapters. Also, I am getting asked why I couldn't just have her tortured from the start; I wanted to capture the loss of innocence and that is what happened to Odette, she lost her innocence at an extremely young age and it changed her into the person I will have her become.**

 **Chapter 13:**

 **Asgard, A week after Odette's fourth birthday,**

"Brother, are you well?" asked Thor. It has been one week, and Loki has been a mess grating on nearly everyone's nerves, and he seemed to be receding to his usual bad temper – a temper that had been deteriorating ever since Odette Arielle had entered his life.

"Do I _look_ well, Thor," said Loki through gritted teeth, his hand tugging on a black lock of hair, "She said she would come after the ball, it has been _a week_!"

"She must not have control over her magic yet, Loki," said Thor soothingly, hoping that his words would calm his brother down.

"She was getting better," said Loki stubbornly, looking away from Thor's earnest blue eyes. He knew that he was probably overreacting and that Odette was tucked in her room trying to dream walk over to Asgard, but he couldn't help but worry over his Grænn gimsteinn.

Sighing and admitting defeat, Loki said, "You're probably right brother."

Smiling widely, Thor clapped Loki on his back and boomed in a hearty voice, "I am glad to have helped calm you brother. Come brother, the All-Father has requested our presence in the council room."

"Is everything alright?" Loki asked worriedly.

"I know not, come let us see the All-Father."

Together, the two prince brothers made their way to the throne room where Odin sat waiting for them patiently, but they could see that he had worry lines across his face and his posture was tense.

"My sons, I have ill-fated news to share. Jötunheim is planning to brew a war in Midgard, they mean to slaughter the humans left and right for revenge; they are growing bold ever since I took the Casket of Ancient Winters from their land," said Odin gravely.

Thor looked angered at the news, Loki however was furious; if the Jötuns hurt Odette he would obliterate them with his own two hands.

"What actions are being taken?" asked Loki in all seriousness.

"Are we to wage war on them?" asked Thor, a little too eagerly, making Loki roll his eyes and Odin to narrow his one eye at him in disapproval.

"I would like to avoid a war, Thor, not every solution comes in bloodshed when you become king my son. I want to end this in a peaceful way, without the loss of our people, and so I have placed Asgard on lockdown, no one can bid leave or entry, and I have ordered Heimdall to close the Bifröst," Odin informed them.

"That is good; that way everyone would be safe," said Loki, grateful that Odette would not be harmed. But that would mean she wouldn't be able to visit, as dream walking would be repelled from the lockdown spell cast by Odin's own brand of magic.

But Loki was willing to do anything for Odette's safety, and once there was peace again with Jötunheim, he would apologize profusely to the sweet, innocent little girl and do whatever he could to make up for the time lost.

He only hoped that her house-elf Daisy would take great care of her and cheers her up.

Little did Loki Odinson know, but his Grænn gimsteinnwould not be the same bubbly and happy little girl that he saw a week ago when he finally does see her.

 **Potter Manor, Two years after Odette's fourth birthday,**

The main garden of Potter Manor was filled with the sound of children's laughter; there were a large group of children running around playing catch, there was another group of children flying a bit off the ground with their toy broomsticks and there were some children eating candy from the largely displayed buffet.

Their parents were all congregated around keeping an eye on their children with fond smiles on their faces while they spoke of work, or in some of the women's case, gossiped.

Inside the Manor, off to the side of the drawing room, there was a corner filled with many presents sent from all over Wizarding Britain as it was the Boy-Who-Lived's sixth birthday.

Yes, Charlus James Potter had just turned six, and his parents decided to make him another birthday in their Manor instead of another Ministry ball.

James Potter was laughing jovially with his best friend Remus Lupin about the latest broomstick that came out, and that he ordered it for his only son as an extra birthday present – after all his little boy, the savior of the Wizarding World, only turns six once and he had to have the best of the best.

Lily Potter was off to the side with her best friend Alice Longbottom as they both kept a wary eye on their children seeing as Charlus was a boisterous boy with a love for pranks, just like his father. Alice knew that her Neville would behave well and wouldn't need to be kept a careful eye on, her daughter however, Lucy Longbottom was only two years old and Frank worried too much over his little girl.

Charlus Potter was currently playing with his best friend Ronald Weasley and they were planning a prank on Neville Longbottom, who Charlus was always forced to play with. Just because Neville was his god-brother, it didn't mean that he liked him, as Neville was a polite young boy who didn't like pranks and causing too much trouble.

All the merriment and the sounds of joyful laughter of children and adults alike was more than enough in making anyone smile, that is anyone but a house-elf that stayed well-hidden from the guests, watching the party behind the large window of the Potter Library.

Yes, Daisy the house-elf had been depressed for two years now as it was the anniversary of her Little Mistress Oddie's disappearance.

Daisy recalled that night two years ago when her Little Mistress arrived in distress with her Master dragging her by her wrist into her bedroom, she recalled the loud crying and begging and her Master's voice yelling angrily about her being a traitor.

Five minutes after her Master left, Daisy popped into her Little Mistress's room looking for a little girl that would be crying on the ground or perhaps in her bed, but Daisy wasn't prepared to be staring into an empty room.

For one whole week Daisy searched high and low, every nook and cranny in Potter Manor for a four year old girl with vibrant red hair, but to no avail. None of the house elves would help her as the Little Mistress was her charge and therefore her responsibility as they all served to take care of the Lord Potter, Lady Potter and Little Master Potter. So it took a whole week for Daisy to be a hundred percent sure that the Little Mistress wasn't in fact hiding from her parents, but she was missing; _gone._

Daisy hastened to inform the Lord and Lady Potter that their daughter was missing, but they didn't care. Lord Potter waved his hand in a nonchalant manner saying that she was just being dramatic because he shouted at her and punished her, keeping her grounded in her room. Lady Potter looked indifferent and ordered Daisy not to bother them anymore about the Little Mistress.

And so, two years had gone by with no word at all about the Little Mistress in the house. If Daisy didn't have any memories of her, and if she weren't her personal house-elf, then Daisy would have believed her to have never even existed.

Her name was never uttered in the house, the Lord and Lady Potter, and their son Charlus didn't seem to realize that there was another member of the family missing. They celebrated a huge party for his fifth birthday, not noticing that it was another little girl's birthday as well. They celebrated Christmas, Halloween and Easter with merriment, not a drop of sadness or regret on their faces.

The portraits of Charlus and Dorea Potter ignored their son, daughter-in-law and grandson like the plague. Disappointed and disgusted with their attitude towards their lovely granddaughter. They worried themselves sick over her disappearance, and they were glad that there was at least one person, even though it was a house-elf, that fretted over her.

Daisy was the only one to ever mourn Odette Arielle Potter's disappearance out of everyone in the Wizarding world.

 **Warren Manor, California, Two years after Odette's fourth birthday,**

Sirius Black and Angelica Warren-Black took a portkey to America five months after the ball the Ministry had put together for the Boy-Who-Lived's fourth birthday.

They took Alexia to celebrate her first Christmas with the Warrens and that was when they found out that Angelica was once again pregnant.

Sirius transferred as an auror in the American Ministry of Magic until the birth of his son, Leo Black, and they spent an extra year there.

Sirius liked the Wizarding America, it was more peaceful and updated, and they prided themselves on working technology like the muggles into their world – unlike Britain. Sirius also decided that it would be best to keep his distance from the Potters for a while so that they wouldn't have a fall out in their friendship due to the way James and Lily were treating his goddaughter Odette.

Angelica agreed with her husband's decision, and she enjoyed spending time with her family in America. She would never forget how James Potter all but dragged her away from Rodolphus and Bellatrix Lestrange in the Ministry ball upon seeing her talking with them; it took Angelica a long time for her to be able to erase the look of terror that was displayed all over Odette's face when she saw James.

Angelica couldn't make a scene with James and Lily in front of all the important witches and wizards of Wizarding Britain, and so she had no choice but to watch James and Odette disappear through the fireplace.

The Blacks decided that it was best for Angelica to spend her first Christmas with the Warrens and the Krums in America, and it was best for Sirius and James' friendship to not fall apart, and so they disappeared for two years.

Sirius kept minimal contact with the Potters while he was in America, and the subject of Odette was never uttered; James all but demanded that they talk about anything but her and Sirius had no choice but to grudgingly acquiesce.

It was now Charlus and Odette Potter's fifth birthday, when Angelica found out that she was pregnant yet again, much to their joy, and they agreed that after the birth of their third child, it would be the last and they would move back to Britain.

Angelica knew that no matter their differences and their fights about Odette, Sirius did miss his best friends James and Remus, and Angelica couldn't bear to keep her husband apart from his home and the people he grew up with.

It would be another year until Sirius and Angelica Black took a portkey back to Britain with their three year old daughter Alexia, their two year old son Leo, and their newborn son Liam.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

In New York, in the bar Cheap Shot, there sat a group of three rowdy men laughing in loud, obnoxious tones about the wonderful screams of their new victims.

These three men enjoyed raping and torturing young girls, and one of them was a proud pedophile. After leaving their victims all bloody with torn clothes by the sidewalk or a dark alley, barely breathing and sometimes dead, they enjoyed making their way over to Cheap Shot for a few beers, relishing the screams and begging pleas of their victims, and comparing notes over who squealed louder.

On this particular night however, things took a different turn when all three of them noticed a gorgeous blonde sitting by the bar drinking a root beer.

She wore a tight red leather dress that fell to her thighs, showing every single curve, nicely-shaped breasts and a round ass. She had long blonde hair that fell to her waist, and when they saw her looking at her surroundings, they noticed the girl had cute features and sapphire eyes.

For the first time ever, the three men argued over her being their new victim, and since it was the first time they all wanted the same girl, they agreed that they would share her.

One of the men went over to her and spoke with as much charm as he could muster, and to the surprise of the other two, she began a fluent conversation with him, the bar getting filled with her laughter, her eyes gleaming as they continued talking and sharing jokes.

After the woman finished her root bear and placed money on the bar, the man offered her a lift to her apartment and she gladly agreed with a secret smile.

As the two of them left the bar, his two companions hastily paid for their drinks and followed them outside, knowing which alley they were leading the girl into.

However, things didn't go as planned; walking into the dark alley were they raped most of their victims, they found the bloodied body of their third companion lying on the ground with a knife embedded into his heart.

Looking around warily, the two men didn't have enough time to escape before there was the loud sound of a bullet shot echoing in the empty alley, and the third man turned around abruptly to see his second companion lying on the floor with a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead, dead.

"This is not funny! Show yourself and stop hiding like a coward," he growled, but there was a waiver of fear as his voice shook.

"You know," a feminine voice sounded out from within the shadows, "I don't think I have ever had the pleasure of meeting such daft criminals … I mean seriously, what kind of criminals goes to the same pub every single night talking in loud tones about the many women you've raped."

The man was speechless, unable to respond to the shadows, his eyes looking at all corners with haste and desperation for the person the voice belonged to.

Suddenly, there was a hard blow at the back of his head, and before he knew it, he was being held to the wall by the same woman they planned on raping that night in this very alley; if he was in a joking mood right now, he would find this to be a very ironic situation.

"You're the pedophile of the group, good. I was leaving you for last," the woman had an evil smirk on her soft face that made it look out of place.

"Oh ya, and why is that?" he grunted out, struggling beneath her hands – she was fucking strong for a woman, unlike all the others they had pinned down.

"Because I want to see the look of fear on your face when you fathom there is no escape from death, just like you enjoyed the look on all the children's face that you raped when they realized there was no escaping you," the woman growled out.

Before the man could plead for his life, she took another knife that was deftly hidden in her bra and lifted it to his neck.

"Who – who are you," he struggled to ask.

With a grin on her face, her eyes gleaming with malice, she said, "I'm _Shadow Swan_ ," before flicking her hand horizontally and slitting his throat, watching the torrent of blood leaking out with satisfaction.

Taking the knife that was buried into the first rapist's heart, she began carving words into each of the three men, before her height, weight and facial features began to change.

Her hair became ruby red traveling to mid-back, her eyes turned doe-like emerald green, and her body shrunk into the body of a six year old.

It had been three months since Odette Arielle Potter escaped the Red Room, and one month since she left Berlin for the city of New York, and a lot has changed in her life.

After having killed Bröshka and Yvanne, leaving their dead bodies in their suite at the Adlon Kempinski Hotel, Odette stayed in a motel for a while using the money that she took from them after having killed them. It was one week later that Odette realized why exactly she had an affinity to the shadows, and after finding and entering the magical district in Berlin, she bought many books about Shadow Travelling.

In Britain, Shadow Travelling was said to be a dark gift and a sign for becoming a dark wizard or witch, but in all other countries it was said to be a revered gift only born into the most powerful witches or wizards once every century.

Odette loved to Shadow travel; she had more control and accuracy over her destination, and it wasn't uncomfortable at all; also, Shadow Travelling was said to be rare, so most places protected with many powerful and ancient wards, didn't have a protection set against Shadow Traveling – probably not even Hogwarts. All Odette had to do was stand somewhere where there is a small amount of shadow and she would reappear wherever her destination was in the shadow, therefore, nobody would be able to see her disappear and reappear unless they had supernatural eyesight.

Odette also became a contract-killer and a self-hired assassin; she never wanted to work for anyone anymore, she didn't want to be owned by anyone like she was in the Red Room.

Using Legilimency, Odette would dip into random people's minds, and upon finding out that they needed someone dead, she would transform herself into some random person with her metamorphmagus ability and interrogate them. She would inform them that her boss did all the killings and gave them a magically conjured contract for them to sign.

Odette read all about technomancy and became really skilled in combining magic and technology together, it required a vast knowledge of Runes, and after Loki taught her Norse Runes, she was extremely skilled and a fast learner.

She would hand over a private number, protected by magic so that she would know if the person calling meant her harm or were trying to arrest her, and that was how her services became needed and popular; her clients would relay over her number to anyone needing a contract-killer, and none of them ever found out that a six year old was doing the killing.

The contracts would have her signature on it, readily made for her clients to sign and the money to be sent and she would go on her way and do the deed, killing whoever her client wished – she never questioned why they were wanted dead, she was an assassin and it was her job to kill and collect the money.

She would sometimes Shadow Travel into museums and jewelry stores and steal important and very expensive paintings or statues, as well as jewelries; she would then go sell them somewhere and collect thousands and millions of dollars. She would then report the missing piece being sold, and it would be returned back to its rightful place.

She was never caught due to her many fake ideas created magically, and her many disguises due to her metamorphmagus ability; and thus, Odette Arielle Potter had more money than the Potters could ever hope for, shrunk into an unbreakable safe with a tracking charm into her pocket wherever she went.

And that was how Shadow Swan was born.

Odette made sure everyone knew about Shadow Swan's existence; after stealing expensive valuables, she would spray paint ' _Shadow Swan'_ where the missing valuable should be, and that was how everyone came to know of her.

They feared her, they idolized her and some even tried to imitate her, but to no avail … no one could be _The_ Shadow Swan.

She picked Shadow Swan as an epithet, as her code name, for personal reasons, as it was sentimental to her; Zelda always told her that she was extremely gorgeous for her age, that she was no caterpillar that was to grow later on into a butterfly, or a duckling into a swan … Zelda would always tell her that she was more gorgeous than any swan, and that she would continue to mature into a goddess of great beauty.

Odette also had an affinity to the shadows; before she gained the gift of Shadow Travelling, Odette was always able to move and hide dexterously between the shadows when she was out on missions.

And so, Odette Arielle Potter dubbed herself, Shadow Swan.

Cleaning her two bloody knives on the dead man's clothes, she heard footsteps approaching at an abnormally fast rate; acting nonchalant, Odette mentally prepared a protective and killing stance; she had no choice but to kill whoever the person was.

"Oh my god! Are you alright?" a woman asked from behind her, but as Odette turned, she noticed the woman freeze, her eyes widening in shock as she realized that it was Odette who killed the three men, and not her being a victim she assumed her to be.

Odette did nothing but stare at her with an impassive look on her face, they both seemed to be scrutinizing each other and she inwardly smirked.

The intruder had dirty blonde hair that rested onto her shoulder blades, a cute button nose and round cheeks with chocolate brown eyes; the woman overall was very beautiful with a baby face and a curvy figure.

"You killed them," she hissed looking at her in disapproval. "Why?"

Cocking her head to the side, Odette spoke in an uncaring tone, "Does there have to be a reason? So I killed them," she shrugged, "Big deal."

The girl looked at Odette sadly, "But you're just a child ..."

Raising an eyebrow, Odette regarded her coolly as she crossed her arms and casually said, "And you're a vampire."

The woman- the vampire sucked in a harsh breath, now regarding Odette in fear and suspicion, "How- How did you know?"

"Simple. I heard someone approaching at an abnormal speed, you probably smelled all the blood a mile away, am I right?"

Dumbfounded, the woman nodded.

"Also, you told me yourself … I can slightly read minds, and your mind was screaming blood, hence … vampire," said Odette calmly, allowing a look of amusement to appear on her childish features at having stumped a creature of the night and one of the most dangerous ones there were.

"Wait, you can read minds? Uh, heard me running … are you, no, you can't be-"

"I'm not a vampire if that is what you are getting at," Odette chuckled, interrupting the vampire mid-ramble, "I'm a witch … a complicated and much different witch, but a witch nonetheless."

"Oh, huh, I'm a good listener," the women said kindly.

"Yeah, look no offense but I'm not looking for a buddy," said Odette dismissively, walking away from the alley, she didn't want to be here when the cops turned up.

"Oh come on, I don't bite," she chuckled, attempting at a joke.

"Love the dry humor sweetie but nope, now go away," said Odette in amusement. A part of her wanted to befriend the vampire, she could tell that she meant her no harm and that she wouldn't judge, but after being in the Red Room for twenty months, and after losing her innocence to Ivan Vanko and having to kill her only friend and elder sister, Odette didn't want to show any emotions or become friends with someone, only to lose them later on just like she always did.

"Your accent is funny, it sounds British but there is a sharp edge to it, almost foreign," the vampire mused thoughtfully, wrinkling her nose in thought.

"I'm British, born and bred, but when I was four I moved to Russia," was all that Odette said, thinking that maybe if she threw her a bone she would leave, but she didn't … in fact, the vampire followed her all the way to the motel she was staying at, trying nonstop to start a conversation.

Reaching her door, Odette snapped, "Well, it was nice listening to you have a conversation with yourself, but it's time for my bedtime."

"Oh, ok … well at least give me your name … not a fake name, just your name," the vampire asked, looking at her beseechingly. She looked like Bambi at the moment, that Odette felt her walls crumble slightly.

Groaning in defeat, and pinching the bridge of her nose, Odette said, "Odette. And that's all I'm going to give you!"

"I'm Lexi," the vampire – Lexi beamed, before disappearing completely.

Odette shook her head, muttering about stupid vampire speed in her head. She wasn't too bothered about giving her name to the vampire, it wasn't like she was going to run into that specific vampire again, and besides it's not like a vampire could report her to anyone.

However, Odette had never been more wrong. Every night Lexi would stop by her motel, adamantly trying to become her friend, and every night Odette would push her away.

It took one month until Odette finally gave in and declared Lexi to be her first friend since Zelda, and  
Odette didn't even regret it. Lexi was very down to earth, and had the ability to make Odette laugh. When Lexi found out about her metamorphmagus ability, she squealed so loudly at all the possibilities, and they began going to concerts together.

Lexi also introduced Odette to her boyfriend Lee, who was also extremely friendly like her except lacking the bubbliness. Lee informed Odette that he fell in love with Lexi, and even after finding out that she was a vampire, it didn't stop him from loving her, instead he asked for her to change him as well so that they could be with each other for all of eternity – which, Odette had to admit was very romantic.

Odette never let her guard down with anyone, and as the days went by she began getting used to showing her emotions _only_ when around Lexi and Lee; they were immortal after all, and they could not be killed easily, so Odette never feared losing them.

Lexi would also tell her about her male best friend Stefan, having already dubbed Odette as her female best friend; Stefan was apparently a vampire that fed on animal blood since he was badly affected by human blood, one drop according to Lexi, made him lose control of his humanity turning into a ripper, which Odette had to admit, she found it to be awesome … slightly awesome.

Lexi and Lee on the other hand, preferred not to kill humans or even drink from them; instead they would drink from blood bags. Odette found it really ironic that her –the human, that killed people left and right, was a contract killer and an assassin, while Lexi and Lee – vampires, which needed to drink blood in order to survive, didn't like killing humans.

Lexi tried to curb Odette's need for killing; she tried convincing Odette to use her magic for good and to go back to Potter Manor and save her money – but to no avail. Odette wouldn't listen and remained stubbornly quiet when the subject was brought up, and Lexi learned to just leave her be, she loved Odette the way she was and even though she hated the killing, she would never change her best friend for the world, and that was one of the main reasons why Odette stayed friends with her.

Odette made Lexi and Lee daylight rings, which made them ecstatic as they were sick and tired of only traveling and going out at night. They had missed the sun, and the feel of it on their skin and it had been many centuries since they had been able to bask in the sunlight.

Odette didn't use the magic on the daylight rings like the witches Lexi informed her about did – using spells, chants and spirits. Odette informed Lexi that she was a different sort of witch; her magic ran through her veins, all stored in a core that grew with maturity, and later on at the age of eleven, they would use a wand which would help her to channel her magical powers to centralize the effects. However, the witches Lexi spoke of where the complete opposites, they were servants of nature and they had a limit when using their magic; they were unable to use their magic for personal gain otherwise there could be grave consequences from the dead witches.

Odette used blood magic in making the rings – she bought many books in Berlin and in Liberty Lane (the American magical district) and she learned many things as she wasn't about to go to Potter Manor any time soon.

She bought two rings, one was feminine with a large amber crystal stone in the middle, and the other was masculine with smaller amber crystal stones decorated around. Using her blood, she fueled the light protection charm and fused it into the amber crystals.

Odette informed Lexi and Lee, that she used Amber since it was a solar stone closely associated with the power of the sun, and since Amber was considered to be the most potent of magical gems, it is favored by witches and easy to place charms and cast spells into.

Odette also informed them that she cast a permanent sticking charm on them, meaning that no one, not even them, can remove the ring, and if they ever needed to remove it, then she was the only one with the ability. With her blood fueled into the Amber crystal, no other witch could remove it from their person or use sunlight against them.

Lexi and Lee were thrilled with everything she had done for them, making her a friend of theirs for life.

***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***

Currently in New York City, there was pandemonium happening in S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters run by Director Nick Fury.

Around two years ago, his spy in the Red Room informed him that a new girl was brought it and that she seemed to have potential as the Generals Pyotr and Pavel Petrovich took great interest in her, and personally inducted her in, spending most of their time training her.

He was then informed that they tried a new serum on her, one that was different from the one they gave Black Widow, who was now one of his Agents, Agent Natasha Romanoff. However, the serum worked on her and since then she was the only one to have survived it, making her a dangerous weapon, possibly even more so than Black Widow.

His spy kept communication with S.H.I.E.L.D. about the girl, Odette Potter; and he was told that she was an exceptional assassin, one of the best Red Room ever had, and the pride and joy of Pyotr and Pavel; every girl in the Red Room seemed scared of her, and rightly so.

However, their plans of converting the girl over to their side failed when she left on a mission to Berlin with two other assassins. The spy told him that the Generals Petrovich blew a gasket and killed many of their own girls to help relieve their anger; it turned out the girl didn't need converting, she already wanted out and she planned on escaping once they reached Berlin, as it was far away from Russia.

She killed the two assassins and left them in the hotel suite for them to be found, and then ran away, and it has been six months since they last saw her. His spy told him that Pyotr and Pavel were searching for her endlessly, but to no avail, she was really good in covering her steps.

Another problematic problem for S.H.I.E.L.D. was Shadow Swan.

No one knew how the person looked like, what their real name was or where the base was located.

He had one of his Agents retrieve the number from one of Shadow Swan's client and call the number, but it got disconnected after the second ring without the person on the other end answering. They couldn't even track the line as it cut after the second ring, and therein lay their biggest problem in catching her.

He sent his best Agents all over New York looking for her and they never got back with any results, not even a simple lead. Agents Romanoff and Barton were getting frustrated, not used to failure and coming from a mission empty handed.

Shadow Swan was proving to be S.H.I.E.L.D.S biggest challenge and a gigantic pain in the neck.

Shadow Swan didn't draw the line at murder. No. Shadow Swan had a talent for robbery as well, and the worst part was that none of the cameras caught the person coming in or out, Shadow Swan would hide in the shadows when the camera rotated in their direction – he now knew why the word 'Shadow' was included in the alias.

Shadow Swan liked leaving their name plastered over the walls of the venues they had just robbed, or on their victim's skin.

Shadow Swan would carve ' _Shadow Swan_ ' on their foreheads, and that was when Nick Fury knew that Shadow Swan _wanted_ to be recognized, Shadow Swan was toying with them, Shadow Swan _knew_ they couldn't get caught.

That was when pandemonium struck, and Shadow Swan became a pain and a huge problem for S.H.E.I.L.D. and Director Nick Fury.

 **A/N:** **Can anyone guess who Lexi is exactly? =)**

 **What did you think of Lexi in this chapter? What do you think of the friendship between Odette and Lexi?**

 **How did you like Shadow Swan? And what about the part for S.H.I.E.L.D.? Don't you just love Nick Fury and how easily angered he is, LOL!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Hello all my readers, I am so thrilled with all the follows I am getting for this story and I really appreciate it, I hope I don't let you all down. I wanted to ask you a Q: What do you think if I wrote a crossover Harry Potter/Grey's Anatomy story? It would be wrong BWL, Fem!Potter, and she would either be the adopted sister of Derek Shepherd, or the adopted daughter of Derek & Addison – Not sure which one … but what do you think? Would you like to read something like that? The idea just popped into my head this morning, and I hadn't been able to get it out of my mind. –Looking forward for your input! =)**

 **Chapter 14:**

"Wow. You are so bipolar Dee," Lexi rolled her eyes, shaking her head in amusement as she leaned into Lee's arms.

"What? Moi? Why would you say that?" Odette pouted.

Currently, Lee, Lexi and Odette were having lunch in a small diner on their way to Georgia, Atlanta. Lee and Lexi wanted to pay their witchy friend, Bree who owned a bar there, a visit, and Lexi wouldn't stop nagging Odette to accompany them, telling her that she would be really interested in meeting a servant of nature and that she was in desperate need of meeting new people that didn't pay her to murder anyone.

It took only a day to persuade her. Lexi was a real soft spot to Odette, and she found it hard to deny her best friend slash only friend, anything.

"You were so perky and sweet, laughing and all with us and then the waitress comes to our table and you're all blank and impassive," explained Lexi.

Lee chuckled, "Her icy façade you mean."

Odette shrugged, "It's not a façade. It's who I am. You guys don't see it because I actually like and trust you … which that in itself is rare. But Lexi you have seen how I really am; you know, back then when you were pestering me to be your friend," her voice took in a teasing tone at the end.

"Nu-uh, I refuse to believe the two General Douchebags managed to change you," said Lexi in denial.

Odette sucked in a breath, fixing her friend with a somewhat stern look, "Lexi, I don't _like_ showing emotions, I find them pointless and I don't trust easily either. After everything that's happened to me, I'm a changed girl and you know what. I embrace it."

"She's going to make you her latest challenge now," said Lee, looking at his girlfriend with a knowing look.

"Hush you," Lexi smiled, staring at Lee fondly before snapping her gaze to Odette, "He's right. You, my little friend, are my latest project. I already managed to get Stefan back on track from his many ripper binges. I am going to make you mellower and have you smiling more often."

"I smile," grumbled Odette.

"Smile to strangers," Lee corrected her. Odette stuck her tongue out at the two vampires as they paid the check and went back to the car.

Lee and Lexi have been alternating driving to Georgia from New York and have currently been on the road for ten hours, making it three hours till they arrived at their destination.

Odette was still peeved that they denied shadow traveling over there, ignoring her when she informed them that it would take them a few seconds to reach. Lexi was adamant that they make it into a fun, bonding road trip and that it would be more enjoyable driving to Georgia and back.

Lee agreed with his girlfriend of course, but Odette swore that he preferred shadow traveling by the disappointed look on his face that appeared when Lexi had told her no.

You do not just say no to Lexi Branson unless you want to enter into a long argument, where she would still win at the end. And so, the six year old witch just spent her time grumbling in the backseat of the car for two hours.

"Finally," Odette cheered, jumping out of the car when Lee shouted out their arrival. She raised an eyebrow and looked at the two vampires in cynically, " _Bree's Bar_? Not very original is she?"

"Oh stop it," Lexi laughed placing a hand on her little friend's shoulder, "I guarantee that you are going to like Bree. She's very down to earth."

"Yeah, you two can bond over witch business," Lee smirked as he walked into the bar confidently.

Looking around, the bar wasn't completely packed with people, but there were a few laughing, drinking shots, smoking cigarettes and playing pool. Odette grudgingly admit to herself that the bar wasn't so bad, it looked … cozy.

"Well, well, well, look what the wind blew in," Odette turned to see a woman jump over the bar, smiling widely at Lee and Lexi as she engulfed them both into tight hugs. "I didn't know you two were coming."

Odette knew her to be Bree; she looked to be in her early to mid-twenties, with frizzy black hair that fell to her shoulder blades, hazel eyes and mocha-colored skin; she was pretty and had a natural beauty.

"And who is this?" asked Bree, going over to stand in front of Odette and smile down at her. "She's beautiful! I didn't know you two adopted a kid," she looked at Lee and Lexi in confusion, who was both trying to stifle their laughter.

"Odette," said Odette in an icy tone, staring blankly at Bree, making her flinch at the deadened look in the six-year old child's eye.

"She's our friend. We met her in New York," explained Lexi as they made their way to the bar. "She is _very_ mature for her age."

"And does she know about-"Bree was cut off my Odette who stared impassively at her and drawled out in a bored voice, "You're a witch and those two are vampires … duh!"

"Come on Dee, open up to Bree, I promise you she's cool," Lexi then looked at Bree's confused face and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "She's not really good with opening up to new people, but she's a real hoot once you get to know her."

Bree studied the girl closely; she had ruby hair and eyes the color of emeralds with pale white sheen skin that looked to be getting darker from the sun. She looked to be six, but Bree could tell that she was very mature for her age, there was this air about her and the way she walked … Bree gasped, clutching a hand to her chest.

"What is it?" asked Lee, the beer in his pausing in midair halfway to his mouth as he looked at his witch-friend in concern.

Bree never took her eyes away from the cold, emerald one that stared blankly at her, "You're very powerful. You hold _such_ power in such a small body … I could, I could feel it, almost _taste_ it in the air radiating around you. You will be a power to be reckoned with once you have matured in age."

There was a small crack in Odette's cold exterior after Bree's words. No one ever informed her anything about her magic. James and Lily believed her to be a squib because of the old fool, Dumbledore.

She spent all her time reading books from the Potter Library and when she turned four she was abused and maltreated constantly for two years. Ivan Vanko and the Generals Petrovich never knew about her magic since it had all but disappeared until her last month at the Red Room.

The only witches Lee and Lexi knew, where the servants of nature and so they couldn't share anything to her.

Loki and the Asgardians called her a seidhr and they informed her that dream-walking was not a common gift, but that was all she knew, since they believed her to be too young. Loki was teaching her Asgardian magic but she accidentally apparated to Russia before she could learn anymore from him.

But Bree …Bree was the first person in all her nearly seven years of living that could tell she was a witch without her informing them, and Odette's curiosity was peaked. She was desperate to know more about herself; she always knew that she was different from James, Lily and Charlus, as well as Sirius and Angela.

"What do you mean?" snapped Odette; she sounded a bit rude, but Lexi smiled, she had faith that Bree and Odette would get closer in time.

"You don't practice witchcraft like I do … and you're not a servant of nature, that much is obvious," Bree pondered how to put what she had sensed in the little girl into words so that Lexi, Lee and Odette could understand. "I can sense a great power in you. It is dark, not light, but you are not per say one practicing black magic."

"I'm a witch," said Odette bluntly. She was not one to dole out her secrets freely; it took a month of trusting Lexi until she told her, and by extension Lee. But she knew her two vampire friends trusted this servant of nature, and she was the only one that could give her any answers since she was not about to ask James and Lily or the old codger. "I come from a large community of witches and wizards where we practice magic with wands; some powerful ones can do wandless magic, but limited of course. I, on the other hand, can practice wandless magic perfectly without any limits."

"Wizards? You don't mean Warlocks, do you?" Bree was enraptured with the six year old and her words and wanted to learn more.

"No, wizards. Of course, this information doesn't reach any ears, am I correct?" Odette smiled sweetly, a threat underlying her words.

Bree shook her head, "You don't have to worry about that doll. Any friends of Lee and Lexi are a friend of mine. Without your permission, I ain't gonna speak a word of this to anyone."

Odette studied the witch closely, releasing her magic to feel out for any lie in her words, and nodded, satisfied when she turned out to be honest, "I'll trust you then. So, what more can you tell about me?"

"Like I said; power. It is intoxicating. You must be careful, there are many more witches like me out there, you could run into them anytime and they would be able to sense you and try and use you," said Bree warningly.

Lee and Lexi burst out laughing at that, while Odette sent Bree a small evil smirk, "They can definitely try. But it might be the last thing they do."

Lee, Lexi and Odette ended up staying in Georgia for two weeks, and during their time there, Odette and Bree grew closer.

Odette had to admit that Lexi had been right, and that Bree wasn't bad. In fact, Odette enjoyed her company and was glad that she could call the witch her friend. She once asked how come she didn't make Lee and Lexi a daylight ring, and she informed her that she was a few years new to the craft and she hadn't seen the two vampires in two years.

Bree, on the other hand found Odette to be interesting. She even began to enjoy her dark sense of humor and never got disturbed by her coldness and harshness to strangers.

During their last week in Georgia, the subject of the infamous Shadow Swan was brought up. The newspaper had a side report stating that it had been three weeks since Shadow Swan was on the move, and they were wondering about her disappearance if it was a good thing for New York.

Odette could sense that Bree was one to be trusted and Lexi and Lee couldn't help but burst out into gales of laughter at the stumped look on Bree's face when she found out that the notorious Shadow Swan was in fact sitting in front of her, and had been in her bar for nearly two weeks.

Bree found it to be hilarious that a six year old girl had New York City running like chickens with their heads chopped off. Nobody would ever expect a six year old girl to be an assassin and expert cat burglar, and she found it to be ingenious, even though she was put off with the killing part; Bree accepted Odette for who she was.

Lee and Lexi were the only ones that knew about Ivan Vanko and her time in the Red Room. Even though she trusted Bree, she didn't like speaking much of those two years with anyone, and she told herself that in the following years she would relay that information to Bree.

When their two weeks were over, Lexi was feeling incredibly smug and happy with herself for helping Odette add another friend to her small list, and open up to someone else.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

It was nearing the end of May, and there remained to be nearly two months for Odette's seventh birthday when she deemed it was time to get herself a wand.

She knew there to be a really good wand maker in Italy. Antonio Mancini was known for using a large variety of wand cores instead of Ollivander who used only Dragon Heartstrings, Phoenix Feathers and Unicorn Hairs.

She was already skilled in wandless magic, and she wanted to start training with a wand. In her research, she found out that Antonio Mancini would remove the trace on his wands for a price, and Odette found it to be worth it; she also had a lot of money to spare from being Shadow Swan so she could afford it.

Another reason why she wanted a Mancini wand was because it was to be her spare wand where she would perform all her spells in. Once she turned eleven, she would have to buy an Ollivander wand so that she wouldn't attract suspicion from the old codger, and she wouldn't be able to use some of the illegal and dark spells she had in her repertoire.

Lexi agreed to go with her and was very excited to see how the wizarding district in Italy varied from Liberty Lane.

The two wandered around for a while at Piazza Place, and Odette added more books to her already vast collection before they entered Mancini.

There was a middle aged man standing by the counter; he had salt and pepper hair, turquoise eyes and olive-toned skin. He stared at Lexi and Odette curiously and Odette felt him brush lightly in her mind.

Odette smirked at him, "I would appreciate it greatly if you would cease your intrusion into our minds."

"What? He was reading my mind?" Lexi looked at the man scandalized.

Antonio Mancini looked at them in shock, surprise written all over his features, and his curiosity only increased. How could a young girl notice his soft scouring of her mind when most experience adults never felt him, "Mi scusi, I do apologize for the intrusion. It was merely a soft brush of Legilimency, I usually use it to know my customers better and have a perfect wand fit for them."

"Hmm, if you say so," Odette glared coldly at him. "I would like a wand. A custom-made one and I want you to remove the trace from it. Also, I would like you to perform all the security charms on them so that it could never be removed from my person and no one could ever cast any charms on it. And, I would like an invisible wand holder."

Antonio Marcini gaped unattractively at the little girl who held so much confidence and power in her words; his jaw dropped even more when said little girl walked over to the counter and dropped a huge bag of galleons in front of him.

"500 galleons; I think that is more than enough for our business with you today and your discretion, am I correct?" said Odette in an icy tone. Lexi smirked at how badass her little friend was.

Marcini was finally able to put himself together and lift his jaw from the ground as he grabbed the bag of galleons, "Of course, of course. Now, both of you come with me to the back for privacy so that I can have your wand custom-made."

Odette and Lexi made their way to the back and saw themselves in a room filled with containers and wood.

Mancini looked at Odette; curiosity sparked in his eyes and asked, "Now, what is your wand arm?"

"I'm ambidextrous," replied Odette coolly, ignoring the surprise on his face. Mancini merely nodded without a word, and flicked his hand over to the measuring tapes, which danced around her and began measuring both hands.

"Now that is cool," Lexi laughed.

"Now, let us start with the wood for your wand. If you please, hold out your hand and walk along this shelf. If you feel warm sensations then grab the wood."

Odette nodded and began walking past the shelf. After she had passed five wood types, she felt a warm spark inside of her and picked the wood, but she felt a beckoning feeling, like a call telling her to continue onwards with her search and five minutes later, she had two more blocks of wood in her hand when she went back to a surprised Mancini.

"Three woods, that is unheard of … never in my life or my ancestors-"Mancini stared at Odette with an unreadable look, but didn't continue what he was originally about to say. "Never mind, never mind. Let us see what you have here. Hmmm, interesting."

"Can you explain what each of these woods mean?" asked Odette, she too was curious as to why she had picked out three instead of the usual one like everybody else would.

"You have picked out Acacia, Elder and Aspen … curious. Hmm, well, the Acacia is a very unusual wood; it creates tricky wands and often refuses to produce magic for any but their owner. If someone has taken your wand, it might never be able to work for them. It also withhold their best effects from all but those most gifted, which proved my point that you are to be or already are a very talented witch," here, Mancini gave her another inquisitive look. "When the Acacia wand is well-matched, it matches any for power."

Mancini placed the wood on the table reverently and picked up a white wood. "This, this is the Aspen wood and it is highly-prized by wand-makers and it produces outstanding charmwork and martial magic. The proper owner of an Aspen wand is an accomplished duelist, or destined to be so. It is a wand for the generally-strong minded and determined."

Lexi stared at Odette in awe and pride, and Odette was glad that she had such fine woods for her wand, that only left the Elder wood.

" _This_ is the Elder wood, and it is the rarest wand wood of all," Mancini's voice developed a mysterious and revered quality as his eyes flitted from the Elder wood to Odette. "It is reputed to be deeply unlucky but only because it is trickier to master than any other. However, since it has chosen you and mixed with the Acacia and Aspen wood, it will be a powerful wand and not to be trifled with if any were to hold your wand. When paired with an Elder wand, it is said the person is marked out for a special destiny."

Antonio Mancini was now the second person to speak of her and her magic as powerful, and when looking at the three powerful and highly rare woods that called out to her, it only cemented the idea. Odette wondered what exactly she was destined for and why was she so powerful in the first place? Was Charlus as powerful as her? She doubted it though, the idiot hadn't performed any accidental magic in all her four years of living under the roof of Potter Manor, it was always her, and he took the praise away from her.

"Now it is time to see what your magical core is. Pass along these containers and if you feel the same warm sensation as you did with the woods, then grab it."

Odette nodded once more and made her way forwards. To Mancini's shock, she came back holding five containers; but then on second thought, he shouldn't have been so surprised, her wand would be needing many powerful wand cores for the three woods of the wand to have balance.

"Let us see; you have basilisk venom, oh my … this has been in my family for three centuries unable to find a match, yes, yes, most powerful indeed." Odette and Lexi watched in amusement as he got even more excited with every container he opened, his rambling increasing tenfold.

"Now this," he held up three strands of dark brown hair, "This is hair from a manticore. My great-great uncle nearly lost his head trying to obtain them during his travels in Iran. Hmmm, hair of a griffin, powerful, yes-"

Odette hid her uneasiness under her cold, impassive mask; she knew why the griffin hair called out to her. It was the signature and crest of the Potter family, and while she knew that three years ago she would have been thrilled at having a connection to the Potter line, the Odette today was dismayed.

"– Griffin hair from its wing, to be precise. Oh my, incredible," he showed the witch and vampire a pure, glittering golden horn that shone gloriously, "This my ladies, is the horn of a Romanian Longhorn."

"Romanian Longhorn?" asked a perplexed Lexi, looking down at her friend for elaboration.

"A dragon," Odette shrugged nonchalantly, enjoying the look of surprise and horror that flitted on her best friend's face.

Lexi gaped wide eyed from her friend to the wand maker, "Dragon, of-of course, how _silly_ of me. I should have known that," she scoffed sarcastically.

"Yes, yes," Mancini smiled benignly at the blonde vampire, "When powdered, their horns are highly valued for potion-making, and the numbers of Romanian Longhorn's have decreased terribly in recent years, mostly due to the trade in its horn. It is now actually classed as Class B Tradeable Material."

Mancini picked up the second to last container, "Ah, my child. This, oh my, dio mio. This is the venom sac of a Lobalug," at the inquiring looks he was on the receiving end of; he smiled and embellished, "It is a creature, ten-feet long found at the bottom of the North Sea. When threatened, the Lobalug contracts its venom sac, which is in fact how my grandfather achieved it."

"I really need to brush up on Magical Creatures," muttered Odette to Lexi, who nodded.

"Yeah, teach me as well. I'd like to know what else exists in the world … I can't believe you didn't tell me of dragons."

"Promise I will later," Odette chuckled, "And the last core, Mister Mancini?" Odette placed her impassive mask back on when looking at the Italian wand-maker.

He held up a bottle of pure transparent liquid, "This signora, is tears from an ice phoenix, which is quite incredulous and curious. You see, your wand is comprised of two poisonous venoms, one of which is the basilisk venom and very deadly."

"Yes, I already know about basilisks. Its venom can kill you in less than a minute," interrupted Odette in a drawl.

"Correct, and can only be counteracted by phoenix tears; which has healing powers. Two opposites lay in your wand. Your wand has deadly and healing properties and can be used as such," Mancini looked excited as he glanced at all the ingredients on the table. "It will take me a week to have it done for you with all the charms you so required and the wand holder when you come to pick it up."

"Very well Monsieur Mancini, I do hope I won't regret doing business with you and that you will be _very_ discrete," said Odette sternly with a cold gaze.

Mancini spluttered, "Why of course, of course, I hope to do many more business with you in the future signora." There was no way Antonio Mancini would be betraying this rich, powerful, entrancing and cold little witch. She would make a deadly enemy.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

Two weeks before Odette's seventh birthday, she decided it was time to move back into Potter Manor. Now that she could Shadow Travel, she could visit Lee and Lexi and go anywhere whenever she wanted, instead of staying stuck in the Potter Library.

Odette was curious to see how everyone back in Potter Manor was, and besides, Odette felt a pull, she had a feeling that it was important to go back. She decided that she would save money and only sleep at Potter Manor.

Also, Odette wanted Shadow Swan to be world-known, and she couldn't wait to cause chaos in Britain.

Lee and Lexi supported her going back, and Lexi actually entertained the idea of moving to Britain for a few years, since she had spent twenty years in New York and was getting bored.

Odette shrunk all her possessions and Shadow Travelled into her room at Potter Manor, and just like she thought, her gift was so rare that there was no wards against someone shadow traveling into their home.

Odette smirked, that could prove to be very useful to her in the future.

Looking around at the room she slept in for three years, she sneered. It still looked the same as the night she turned four, nothing was out of place, and nothing new was added to it. In fact, she was sure that only the house elves had entered the room to clean it and keep the dust away.

Odette was walking around the room when she heard a pop, followed by a loud squeaky voice, "Little Mistress Oddie came back!" and then something bony was hugging her.

She looked to see her house elf Daisy staring awestruck at her with giant tears leaking down her giant eyes. "Daisy?"

"Mistress Oddie, where have you been? You disappeared for three years … you, you are different Mistress," Daisy squeaked, looking her little Mistress over.

"It's a long story Daisy, one I don't want to go over at the current time," said Oddie dismissively, an impassive mask on her face. She was happy to see Daisy, but she was a changed girl now and emotions were for fools. She was only comfortable around Lee and Lexi.

"Tell me Daisy, what has been going around in Potter Manor for the past three years? And don't sugar coat anything, I want details, warts and all," she snapped. Daisy flinched at how cold her Mistress had become, but she hastened to obey.

"I searched the Manor for you, but once I noticed you had gone poof, I informed Lord and Lady Potter. They, they ordered me not to speak of you anymore. They thought you were being stubborn and hiding for attention," she looked sympathetically at her Little Mistress but was surprised to see her staring back impassively and uncaring with cold, dead eyes.

"And? What else happened?"

"A month ago Lady Potter gave birth to a boy, Harold Potter … they don't pay him much attention because little Master begins tantrums if they do."

Odette was shocked at finding out she had a younger brother, and scoffed at the news of Charlus. Of course the spoilt brat would cry for attention. "Show me Harold's room."

Odette nodded obediently and led her onwards to the room five doors down from her. She entered to find a little baby boy with black hair and emerald green eyes like hers; the difference between their eyes was that Harold's held innocence, while hers was long gone, filled with horror and evil.

When Harold saw her he began giggling and lifting his tiny chubby arms up. Odette hesitated for a moment before cautiously reaching down for him and carrying him into her arms. Harold began giggling more and his tiny fingers patted her cheek.

Odette now knew that Harold was the pull that had her returning to the Potter Manor.

"Hello Harold, I'm your big sister," she sat by the rocking chair with Harold in her arms. "I'm going to call you Harry for short, what do you say?" Harold giggled again as a response which she took to mean yes. "Don't worry, you're not alone. You have me to take care of you. I won't abandon you like James and Lily. I promise."

Odette Arielle Potter always kept her word and never broke any promises; Yasmine was a fine example of that.

 **A/N:** **How did you like this chapter? Next chapter we might be seeing Loki, and there is only a few more chapters before reaching Hogwarts. What did you think of Lee and Lexi? What about Bree?**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Chapter 15:**

It has been a month since Odette returned to Potter Manor, and she barely spent much of her time in that accursed place. In fact, Odette had made a routine that was suitable for her, managing to avoid James, Lily and Charlus.

She would wake up early, Daisy would bring her breakfast in bed, after she finished eating she would check up on baby Harry and then shadow travel out of the manor to New York where she would spend time with Lexi or spend time as Shadow Swan. Whenever she would tire out, she would travel back to Potter Manor and sleep, and then repeat the same routine the next day.

However, two weeks after her return, she had the 'pleasure' of witnessing James and Lily Potter arrange a birthday bash for their precious Boy-Who-Lived. She observed the British Wizarding Community fawn over Charlus who preened under all the attention, and watched how James and Lily courteously welcomed everyone into their home, ordering the house-elves to organize the mountainous presents for Charlus in the drawing room.

What angered Odette however, was when baby Harold bawled his little eyes out for Lily when he needed feeding, and she would huff at Harry for disrupting the party. When Charlus saw his one month old brother was taking the attention away from him, he orchestrated a huge hissy fit and yelled at the Potters to take Harry away, that it was his birthday and he was stealing all the attention meant for him.

After that event, Odette made sure to stop by Potter Manor every few hours to check in on Harry and make sure he had company. She promised that she would always take care of him and that he would never feel alone and unloved and Odette never broke her promises.

Two months later, Odette began obtaining clients in England for contract killing, and she reveled in the fear of muggle London when news spread out that Shadow Swan diversified from New York and was now wreaking havoc in England as well. When she saw the news clipping about her with the title: **From America to England – Is Any Country Safe From Shadow Swan?** … Let's just say Odette's mood peaked.

Odette wanted everyone to fear her and respect her.

One day, Odette was making her way to check on Harry before Shadow Traveling from the manor, when she heard someone call out her name. Turning around, she saw that a portrait of a man who looked like a carbon copy of James and a woman with black hair and grey eyes resembling Sirius' staring right at her.

"Can I help you?" Odette spoke in an icy tone and looked merely bored at the man and woman in the portrait.

Tears began leaking out from the female's eyes and she said, "Oh sweetie, we have been so worried about you. I'm Dorea and this is Charlus, we're your grandparents."

Raising an eyebrow, Odette drawled, "Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

"Young lady, don't you sass us. Show some respect," snapped Charlus, he was staring at his goddaughter in horror. She seemed so cold and uncaring, unlike the little four year old that held childish innocence.

"Yeah, sure. I cannot even look at you without seeing James Potter, so if you don't mind," Odette sneered, "I'm going to check up on the only member of the Potter family that I can _actually_ stand and get out of this god-awful place."

"What happened to you? You're so … so cold, so mean. Where have you been for three years that changed you so?" whispered Dorea in horror.

Odette glared coldly at Dorea Potter, "Life happened." And with that she turned her back on her grandparents' portrait and went to see her brother. She didn't care for Charlus and Dorea Potter; where were they when she went through three years of hell being ignored and beaten by James and Lily? They were too late in Odette's opinion.

Little Harold was crying in Lily's arms when Odette walked in, and she stared in amusement as Lily tried calming her youngest son down, to no avail, "Oh god, please simmer down, stop crying for goodness sakes. JAMES!"

"What is it Lil-"James gaped at the sight of the daughter he hadn't seen in years standing in the doorway. " _Odette_?"

Odette stared at James with an impassive look; _great_ , she really didn't want to run into any of the Potters, ever.

"Who are you talking –"It was Lily's turn to stare at their covert daughter in shock, and Odette huffed.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever it's me," Odette went over to Lily and grabbed Harry from her arms, and the elder Potters were flabbergasted when their youngest son instantly stopped with his incessant bawling the second he was in Odette's arms.

"How-how? What? Where have you been? Finally done pouting away in hiding?" Lily yelled, her face was red from anger and shame at the fact that her son would only calm down in Odette's arms.

"You can call it that," Odette shrugged nonchalantly staring up at James and Lily with cold eyes.

James flinched slightly; there was something different about their daughter, her eyes seemed … off.

Having had enough with their staring, Odette placed a chaste kiss on Harry's cheek and set him down in his cot, and without another word, Odette left the nursery, leaving James and Lily Potter to gape at her back. Of course, Charlus began whining a few minutes later and they forgot all about bumping into Odette.

Another two months later, Odette had another purpose in mind. She wanted to visit Gringotts and emancipate herself. She didn't want James and Lily as her guardians anymore, she didn't want them to hold power over her; she knew that in over three years, her Hogwarts letter would arrive and they would try to control her, and _no one_ controls Odette Arielle Potter.

If she couldn't succeed in emancipating herself, then she would prefer her guardians to be Lee and Lexi until it was possible, and so, when Odette wasn't with Lexi or out there being Shadow Swan, she would immerse herself once again in the Potter Library reading up about goblins and customs.

Odette knew that goblins were very formidable and would be great assets to her and powerful allies. Odette wanted to be surrounded by the best; she wanted connections. Two books drew her attention; _Goblin History and Culture_ and _Goblin Language and Magic_.

Three months later, Odette was fluent in Gobbledegook; it was quite a challenge to learn it, and Lexi would laugh at her attempts, telling her that it was harsh, rasping and full of grunts, but Odette knew that learning the goblin language would hold her in great esteem to the goblin's eyes and she was adamant in becoming a goblin friend.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

Lexi and Odette went to Diagon Alley from the passageway through the Leaky Cauldron. Odette used her metamorphmagus ability to change her eyes brown and hair blonde to look like – according to a laughing Lexi: mini-Lexi; even though nobody knew of her existence, being in the Red Room for over a year, an assassin and Shadow Swan, taught her to always be vigilant.

They entered Gringotts and strode over to the front desk to speak with a goblin. Odette had already informed Lexi all about goblins, and even showed her a few pictures so that she wouldn't be shocked like the time at Mancini's when she found out about dragons, and also because goblins were easily insulted and it didn't take much to offend them.

"Hello, I would like to have an audience with Head Goblin, Ragnok, please," said Odette coolly, making sure to keep eye contact with the goblin.

"Only if Head Goblin Ragnok is free," the goblin sneered. Said goblin spoke to a goblin beside him in Gobbledegook, "What excuse should I tell the idiot child to make her go away? She is obviously a waste of our time."

"Tell Ragnok that this time-waster, idiot child would also like to form an official complaint on rude, obnoxious tellers wasting _my_ time and possibly losing a very important client," Odette sneered at the goblin in Gobbledegook, her eyes flashing coldly at him.

The goblin jumped in his chair and every goblin nearby stared at the little girl and an amused Lexi in shock. The goblin that had offended Odette began bowing, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll go speak with Head Goblin Ragnok immediately," before flashing away in fear.

It was a well-known fact that Gobbledegook wasn't an easy language to learn, and if a witch or wizard spoke their language fluently, that they were an important person and possibly powerful.

Five minutes later, the goblin returned and guided Lexi and Odette down a stoned corridor and stopped by the door at the end, "Head Goblin Ragnok is waiting for you in meeting room number two. Just knock twice and enter." And the goblin scurried off back to the front desk.

"You enjoyed scaring him didn't you, mini-me," Lexi laughed. Odette flashed her an amused look before knocking twice on the door and admitting herself and Lexi entry, her face impassive again.

Head Goblin Ragnok eyed the two newcomers warily; according to Blipaxe, the little girl spoke fluent Gobbledegook and had the cold face of a warrior. He was shocked when the little girl's features changed and didn't look like the daughter of the blonde lady anymore. She had ruby red hair and emerald green eyes and her face looked cold and deadly – a warrior indeed.

"May I ask who you are to request an audience with me?" asked Ragnok hesitantly; unlike some of the idiot goblin tellers, he knew not to insult new faces for the probability of adding profit to Gringotts bank.

" _This_ is my friend, Lexi Branson. She is a vampire, heads up for now," Lexi beamed and gave a friendly wave at the gob smacked goblin. "And I am Odette Arielle Potter."

"The other Potter," Ragnok mused, staring the little girl down. He knew the Lord and Lady Potter well, and when Charlus and Odette Potter where merely a few months old, they came into the bank with their children. Ragnok remembered the infant girl, and predicted her to resemble her mother as the years went by; however, she looked nothing like the Lady Lily Potter. Her hair was ruby red, almost like blood, and her eyes had a dangerous quality to it … he wondered what changed the innocent little girl.

"The other Potter?" Lexi stared at an impassive Odette in amusement.

"Yes. I was wondering where she had disappeared to after Charlus Potter was named the Boy-Who-Lived. What can I do for you Ms. Potter?" asked Ragnok formally.

"Many things," said Odette vaguely. "I am about to make your career and add a lot of profit to Gringotts bank. However, there is a catch."

Ragnok's face remained unchanged, however he felt a spark of amusement; the girl was ballsy, she had fire. "Oh? And what might that be?"

"I would like us to become allies. Maybe later, even a goblin friend," Odette stated, her face unwavering and she kept eye contact with the Head Goblin.

"There hasn't been a goblin friend in over three centuries. What makes you think we would accept you?" asked Ragnok, his face hard and his teeth bared.

Odette ignored the question, not deeming it with an answer, instead she said, "I'd like to be emancipated."

Ragnok gaped at the child, "You are not even eight years of age. It is impossible; you need to at least reach the age majority or adulthood."

"I have always taken care of myself. When I was four, I had a huge burst of magic. I apparated myself from Potter Manor and found myself in the streets of Russia. My magic was depleted and I lived two years of hell being trained to be an assassin. I take it you are well-versed of the muggle world?"

Ragnok nodded, "Of course. Goblins must be. We make many profits from muggle businesses."

"So I take it you have heard of the Red Room?"

" _Impossible_!" Ragnok breathed out; Ragnok has never been this shocked before. "It is merely a myth; many have proven the organization does not exist."

"I assure you it does. I escaped nearly two years ago. It matters not whether you believe me or not. I have educated myself in wizard cultures and I know there is a test. Magic can emancipate me. I would like to take the test and an inheritance test. Also, I would like to open my own vault and place money inside," with that, Odette and Lexi began taking out twenty shrunken trunks from their pockets each and set it aside.

"What is this?" Ragnok gaped, gesturing at the forty shrunken trunks.

Odette flashed her teeth, and smiled sinisterly, "All my savings. They are all in American dollars however. Once unshrinking them, I would appreciate it if you can convert them into galleons."

"That would accumulate approximately into over a billion America dollars. How did a child of age seven get her hands on so much money?" Ragnok stared suspiciously at the girl.

"I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce my alias name; Shadow Swan, at your service," Odette smirked, and Lexi couldn't help but chuckle at Ragnok's expression.

"You are the infamous and most feared Shadow Swan?" Ragnok looked disbelieving, but there was a hint of respect and pride in his voice. "Very well; we shall begin with the magical inheritance."

Ragnok took out a vial with red potion and a parchment before handing Odette a bronze ceremonial knife.

"This is a heritage discovery potion. Add ten drops of your blood into it, and then add them to this magically produced parchment. The paper will show us all of the Wizarding Families you are descended from or have inherited from."

Odette nodded and made a deep gash onto her thumb, not even flinching or feeling any pain whatsoever; she was immune to pain after the Red Room. She carefully placed her thumb over the vial and counted ten fat drops of blood. Once she had added ten drops, the potion changed to a silver color, and watched as her thumb instantly healed.

"Woah, how did that happen?" Lexi gasped in wonder.

"The knife has magically healing properties. It is ceremonial, so once used, the cut from said knife would heal instantly," Ragnok informed her.

Once the potion was applied onto the parchment, Ragnok began waving his hand and muttering in a low chant of Gobbledegook making the parchment glow. After ten seconds of waiting, back-inked spidery words began to form and many names appeared onto the parchment making Ragnok's eyes widen to the size of galleons.

"Holy shit, Dee! That's a lot of names," Lexi squealed, looking over at Odette's shoulder at the parchment.

 **Inheritance Test**

 **Odette Arielle Potter**

 **Unconfirmed Inherited Ladyships**

 _Noble and most Ancient House of Potter_

 _Noble and most Ancient House of Black_

 _Noble and most Ancient House of Gryffindor_

 **Confirmed Inherited Ladyships**

 _Noble and most Ancient House of Slytherin – by Right of Conquest_

 _Noble and most Ancient House of Ravenclaw_

 _Noble and most Ancient House of Peverell_

 _Noble and most Ancient House of Emrys – Magically inherited_

 _Noble and most Ancient House of Le Fay – Magically inherited_

 **Confirmed inherited family vaults**

 _Slytherin vault_

 _Ravenclaw vault_

 _Peverell vault_

 _Emrys vault_

 _Le Fay vault_

 **Abilities Test**

 _Parseltongue_

 _Wandless magic_

 _Mind Magic – Legilimency and Occlumency_

 _Metamorphmagus_

 _Eidetic Memory_

 _Parselmagic_

 _Dark Magic/Dark Arts_

 _Animagus – more than one form and magical form_

 _Shadow Traveler_

 _Dream Walker_

 _Potions_

 _Transfiguration_

 _Charms_

 _Ancient Runes_

 _Arithmancy_

 _Spell Creation/Rituals_

 _Blood Magic_

 **Curse Test**

 _Horcrux_

"Ms. Potter, you are the richest witch in Europe," Ragnok's eyes flashed at her. Now he understood why she wanted to be a goblin friend. She held so much power within her, she needed to surround herself with powerful and trustworthy allies.

"House of Emrys and Le Fay? What does this mean, magically inherited?" Odette cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Morgan Le Fay and Merlin Emrys have no living descendent. Their line has died out centuries ago, and their vaults and secrets within those vaults lay in Gringotts untouched until magic deemed someone worthy to inherit their name. It seems Odette Potter, that magic favors you," said Ragnok in awe.

"What about the unconfirmed ones?" Lexi inquired; it was the first time she had ever seen her little friend at a loss for words. Bree was right when she sensed power in little Dee.

"Lord Potter came by when Lady Potter was pregnant with their third child, and he named Charlus Potter the heir of Potter and their newborn son to be the heir of Gryffindor. Lord Black has children of his own, so they would inherit the Black title," said Ragnok. "What I find curious is the right of conquest to Slytherin."

Odette smirked evilly, "Oh, you'll like this Head Goblin Ragnok. You see, with my eidetic memory, I remember the night of Halloween when Voldemort came to Godric's Hollow. I was the one that stopped him; Charlus was sleeping in his cot the whole time."

"You mean to tell me, the wizarding world have been celebrating and praising the wrong child, when you are in fact the defeater of Voldemort?" Ragnok gaped; this was indeed a very fruitful meeting, one very much worthy of his time.

"He's not dead yet. I saw his soul leave the nursery. Can you tell me about Ravenclaw and Peverell? How did I inherit them?" Odette looked curiously at the parchment.

"Yes, well. Your mother is a descendent of Ravenclaw; it gets passed down only to females because Rowena Ravenclaw only had a daughter Helena Ravenclaw and deemed woman superior to men. Lady Potter never came for an inheritance test and so she lost all rights to it. Peverell on the other hand, is from the Potter's side of the family. What is odd is that magic seems to want you to inherit it as well," Ragnok looked slightly confused at this conundrum.

"So since magic favors me, let us get down to the emancipation potion. I want to be out of James and Lily's control," snapped Odette.

"If you don't mind my asking, Ms. Potter. Why do you hate your parents so?" Ragnok stared at the child in curiosity.

Lexi scoffed, "They don't deserve the title of parents."

"They think I am a squib. So they ignore my presence and abuse me," Odette spoke in a chilling tone.

"Squib? You are possibly the most powerful witch in existence," Ragnok shook his head. He took out a vial filled with gold liquid, "I must warn you Ms. Potter, if magic deems you unworthy of being emancipated, there could be a possible backlash and you could die."

Lexi looked horrified, but she knew there was no stopping her friend once she put her mind to something – she was too stubborn. Odette nodded vehemently and took the potion without a word, she uncapped it and chugged it all.

There was silence in the room as Ragnok and Lexi stared at Odette who had closed her eyes and was trembling slightly. Ten long minutes later, a golden glow spread all over Odette and she opened her eyes with a smile.

"Well, it seems magic does indeed favor you. Congratulations Lady Slytherin-Ravenclaw-Peverell-Le Fay-Emrys, you are as of now emancipated and you are the Lady of five Noble and Most Ancient Houses."

Ragnok proceeded to hand over four rings; apparently the Peverell ring was lost, but Ragnok promised he would have his goblins track it down. He gave her a list of all the manors she owned.

"You own ninety-seven manors, seventy-two apartments, and an island in the Caribbean. Wow," Lexi gaped.

"Yup, and if you and Lee are still planning on moving to England, you can pick any of the manors or apartments in London," Odette winked getting engulfed in a sudden hug by her vampire friend.

"Now Ms. Potter. Here are six Gringotts credit cards. Five of them are for each vault and one is the vault you have just opened from the money you acquired using your Shadow Swan persona," Ragnok handed over six credit cards to Odette, and she saw that each one had her name written in golden letter: _Odette Arielle Potter, Odette Arielle Ravenclaw, Odette Arielle Slytherin, Odette Arielle Peverell, Odette Arielle Le Fay and Odette Arielle Emrys._ "You can use them in the magical and muggle world, any currency would work."

"One last thing, I would like to remove the Horcrux. I always felt something dark residing in the back of my neck," Odette scowled.

"I have called Griphook to have Healer Snowclaw prepare for the ritual, he shall be here any moment," Ragnok stood up and bowed, "On behalf of Gringotts nation, I would like to call you Lady Odette Arielle Potter-Slytherin-Ravenclaw-Peverell-Le Fay-Emrys, a goblin friend."

"Then you should call me Odette," Odette respectfully bowed back.

"Ragnok," Ragnok grinned showing sharp pointy teeth. "Never hesitate to come over and check your vaults."

"Thank you Ragnok."

Lexi was led into the waiting room; Griphook explained that for the ritual to cleanse Odette of the Horcrux living within her she would need to be isolated.

Griphook guided Odette two floors down into a room where Healer Snowclaw was waiting for her; he escorted her over to a room where she would have to undress and sat down on the ground that was charmed with goblin magic. There was a crystal each north, south, east and west and Odette lay in the middle.

"Step one; we have to isolate the piece of foreign soul in your body, which means severing all attachment it could have made in your mind for the past six years. Step two; we will create a pocket dimension for the transfer use. In this dimension we will make a barrier for the soul piece to be transferred into the object and cannot return to you. Step three we will extract the soul piece and I must warn you that it will be very painful and it isn't possible to avoid. You will probably fall unconscious after the soul piece is extracted," Healer Snowclaw warned her.

Odette nodded and scoffed inwardly; she doesn't feel pain anymore. She wasn't worried at all; not even a lick.

Healer Snowclaw continued, "Step four is the transfer of the pocket dimension; last step is step five, putting the soul piece from the pocket dimension into the new Horcrux. This concludes the transfer. We have chosen a cheap box as the new Horcrux and it will be destroyed with Fiendfyre immediately so it can't do any harm ever again."

Healer Snowclaw and a few other healer goblins activated the barrier with sage and began chanting in Gobbledegook. The crystals began glowing blue as they continued chanting, and once the crystal turned white, Odette could feel the foul soul of Voldemort's fighting to remain within her.

Odette closed her eyes and drowned out all sound. She used the technique learnt from the Red Room and went into a meditative state. She could feel her neck was on fire, it was literally burning, but it was nothing compared to the time General Pyotr hammered screws into each of her ten fingernails … it was nothing compared to the two hundred lashes she received onto her back.

It could have been seconds, or minutes, or even hours later when Odette heard a high-pitched, hair-raising screech, and she opened her eyes to see a black cloud get forcefully ejected from her neck. She didn't feel the need to fall into a state of unconsciousness. In fact, she felt wonderful, like a huge weight got lifted from her shoulders and she watched with glee as the black cloud got sucked into the box that Healer Snowclaw informed her of.

Once they were done, one of the healers threw the box into a fireplace with contained Fiendfyre. Healer Snowclaw was staring at Odette in shock, an unreadable glint in his black, beady eyes.

Odette went over to put her clothes back on, and when she went out she saw that the Healer hadn't yet to take his eyes off of her. "Is something wrong?"

"You have a high pain threshold. Extraction of a soul piece causes excruciating pain," was all Healer Snowclaw said.

Odette shrugged and stared impassively back, "Pain means nothing to me. I barely feel anything. Thank you Healer Snowclaw." And with that, she went out of the ritual chamber and Griphook escorted her back to Lexi.

Lexi and Odette, disguised as mini-Lexi once again, shopped around Diagon Alley before entering Knockturn Alley. Odette wanted to buy many books on Dark Magic and Parselmagic from Borgin and Burkes; she ended up paying 300 galleons and left with seventeen books.

Lexi and Odette sat down in Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour for some ice cream before they would shadow travel back to New York, and somehow the subject of Asgard came up.

"I don't understand. Why won't you see Loki? You told me that you are very close with him," Lexi sighed in exasperation; when Odette first told her that the Norse Gods exist, she shouted at Odette, saying that she was too young to start on crack. Of course, she ended up believing her, after all dragons and magic with wands exist, why not Norse Gods.

"Because I'm not the same Odette Arielle he knows. I am different. I'm cold and uncaring and a murderer. I love killing; I am not his Grænn gimsteinn anymore," Odette repeated for the thousandth time.

"Okay. So you go visit him and if he cannot accept the changed and newly-improved Odette Arielle, then don't ever visit him again. But if you don't, then you'll always wonder what if," Lexi shrugged.

Odette pondered her friend's words for a while before nodding, "I'll think about it."

 **A/N:** **I'm sorry for any of my readers that were excited for Loki. This was a filler chapter and Odette in Gringotts was very important to the story; so this chapter** _ **had**_ **to happen. Now, surprise for next chapter: Loki will definitely be in it AND another surprise … I won't tell you what it is but I'll give you a little hint: Marvel Universe.**

 **R &R.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Chapter 16:**

"Brother calm yourself," boomed Thor; how his brother could be both, loud and soothing completely baffled Loki, but unfortunately, his brother did not succeed in calming him down.

The war with the Jötunheim was finally over, and they were not about to embark on a war with Midgard anymore. The ban of traveling outside of Asgard had been lifted and Odin removed his spell making Asgard free from lockdown.

Currently, Loki was frantically pacing in his chambers with Thor watching him in worriment, unable to soothe his brother's nerves.

"Loki, _Loki_!" Thor planted both hands on Loki's shoulders, "Listen to me, brother. The All-Father has lifted Asgard from lockdown, it has only been months and we can now search for Odette Arielle."

Loki's forest green eyes bore desperately into Thor's sapphire blue ones, and he spoke in a dull voice, "Yes, it has only been months in Asgard, brother. But you are forgetting that time moves differently in Midgard. Months for us could be _years_ for them."

Loki was worried that Odette thought he had abandoned her. Loki was scared that his Grænngimsteinn would never forgive him; Odette Arielle was the only constant in his life, the only person other than his mother Frigga to ever defend him, the only person that was always firmly planted on Team-Loki.

Loki didn't know what he would do if his Grænn gimsteinn hated him.

"Then let us make haste to Heimdall and have him open the portal. We will visit Odette Arielle ourselves instead of waiting for her. She must have given up after sensing the All-Father's magic barrier," Thor proposed; he would do anything for his little brother, and he knew how important the Lítil stúlka was to him.

"Yes, yes. Come Thor, let us not dawdle." The two Asgardian Princes rushed over to Heimdall who grimaced, having expected their arrival and knowing that they wouldn't like what he had seen.

"Heimdall. We ask that you search for Odette Arielle," Thor boomed politely, with a small nod of acknowledgement.

Heimdall's golden eyes never detached from the depths of the Bifröst as he answered his two Princes, "I have been expecting you, and so I spared time needed to search for her. She is currently in the city of New York. I will transport you there at once. However," Heimdall finally tore his eyes from the Bifröst and the two Princes were shocked at the sorrow in his golden eyes, "Beware. You must prepare yourselves for what you are to see."

"We will Heimdall," Thor answered at once.

"Enough with the riddles, I need to see her," Loki growled. Heimdall bowed his head and moved his scepter and the two Princes found themselves traveling down the Rainbow Bridge and landing in an empty alley.

Loki closed his eyes immediately, letting his magic feel for Odette Arielle's familiar aura. "I can feel her. I can sense her." Loki frowned in puzzlement once he had opened his eyes, "Though something feels off about her."

"What are you insinuating, brother?" asked a confused Thor.

"Her aura has changed … it is darker, more powerful. Mouth-watering in a way," Loki tilted his head unable to convey his proper meaning, "Potent, I presume you can say."

An anguished scream from the corner of the alley abruptly broke them from their lingering thoughts, and the two Asgardians rushed over to detect the disturbance. However, nothing could have prepared them for what they walked into.

Suddenly, Heimdall's riddle made much more sense and Loki and Thor could do nothing but gape in shock and disgust at what lay before their very eyes.

There was blood on the wall, and a dead body of a man lying in a puddle of what they assumed to be his own blood, his eyes staring blankly toward the sky, and his face frozen in torment, unbearable pain etched on his features.

There was short figure looming over the dead body, and her back was to them. Loki and Thor could only detect that she was a female with long, curly, ruby red hair … _ruby red hair …. No!_

"I didn't know I would be having an audience. This was supposed to be a private event," the girl spoke without turning around; she had a musical voice, but instead of hearing the familiar bell-like voice, they heard darkness seeping through her tone; evilness. "What is your purpose here? If it is to save this filth then you are too –"

Three different gasps surrounded the air as the girl finally turned around to face the two Asgardians, and all three of their faces was etched with shock; Thor and Loki however, had a mixture of horror blending in neatly with the shock.

"Loki?"

It was Odette Arielle, his Grænn gimsteinn. No … it cannot be. But it was glaringly obvious; she looked older, definitely not four of age anymore. Her features were the same, but more pronounced. She was more beautiful than before. However, her childish innocence, her angelic features, was all but gone.

Emerald green eyes that shone with innocence and delight were replaced with blank, cold and ruthlessness. Eyes were the mirror to the soul; and from what Loki could see, it conveyed death, struggles, darkness and hardships … things a young girl should never have faced.

Her face wasn't crinkled up with happiness and her usual beaming smile when setting eyes upon Loki was missing. Her face was impassive and cold; she used to be a little girl that wore her emotions on her sleeves, however the two Asgardians could detect none; only blank disinterest.

"Grænn gimsteinn minn," Loki whispered in a pain-filled voice, his eyes desperately imploring her to come forward, to say something, to do anything other than stand there as still as a statue.

Thor and Loki noticed a sharp blade lay comfortably and deftly in her hand, the steel blade dripping with the Midgardian man's blood. Odette noticed their eyes trail down to her handy knife, and without another word, she Shadow Traveled away from the scene and into Lee and Lexi's apartment, where they were currently packing their possessions to move into one of her London manors.

"Brother, that was –"

"I know who that was Thor. What happened to her? She seems a stranger, yet I know she is my Grænn gimsteinn," Loki wept, his hand angrily brushing a stray tear from his desolate face.

Thor placed a comforting hand on Loki's shoulder, "We need to leave brother. The Midgardians shall congregate here for the body," Thor pointed a hand at the disturbing corpse Odette left behind, and together, the Asgardian Princes disappeared from the crime scene, just as a waitress approached the alley with hands full of garbage.

Her scream resounded throughout the alley, and her co-workers from the restaurant dashed outside to see what the commotion was all about, their eyes widening and their jaws dropping at the gruesome scene.

Thirty minutes later, there was Red Tape barring the citizens who were crowded around from entering, and the NYPD was congregated around the body, along with a couple of Crime Scene Investigators.

"This is just sick, this is urgh, God!" Detective Holden spat out in disgust, his eyes glaring at the writing on the wall with revulsion.

"Detective Holden!" turning around, he breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Director Nick Fury from S.H.I.E.L.D. and two of his best agents following behind him as a sort of buffer, Agent Natasha Romanoff and Agent Clinton Barton.

"Director Fury, good, my officers called you after all. We're out of our element here, we cannot catch the perpetrator. This is some messed up shit!" Detective Holden growled, a hand sliding frantically through his mop of hair before tiredly running down his face.

"Shadow Swan has struck again, and this time the message was painted on the wall instead of being carved on our victim's skin," Nick Fury inspected the scene, his eyes not straying too far from the grafitied wall; 'Shadow Swan' written with the victim's blood.

Agent Clinton Barton studied the scene with inquisitive eyes and shook his head, a frown making its appearance, "This doesn't make sense. Shadow Swan's M.O is to carve her name onto her victims. Why would she conspicuously write it on the wall?"

"I was waiting for one of you to ask," Detective Holden grimaced, "Shadow Swan left us a parting gift right under her name. Take a look."

The Director and two Agents from S.H.E.I.L.D. walked closer to the grafitied wall before recoiling backward in shock, horror and disgust. A piece of the man's anatomy was nailed onto the wall.

Natasha's impassive face melted into horror, "Is that a –"

"Yup. That's the victim's penis alright," one of the CSI, Jake Williams, spoke up from his place on the ground next to the victim's body.

Agent Barton's hands unconsciously cupped his privates in fear as though Shadow Swan may appear out of thin air and chop his off, "I cannot imagine how much pain our victim was in. Shadow Swan is one sick bitch!"

"Oh, our victim was in a world of pain long before he died," Jake Williams spoke up, and everyone turned to him, keeping their ears open for his analysis. "C.O.D, exsanguination. After slicing his penis off, she stood over him and waited for him to die. There are no other injuries on him, except some bruising from which she obviously kicked his ass."

"What can you tell us about this, _Shadow Swan_?" Detective Holden spat the name in disgust. Jake Williams grimaced when he went over to the penis nailed to the wall, and began demonstrating with his hand, "As you can see, the slice is a clean cut. Shadow Swan used a sharp steeled blade. There are no curves, no edges. It took one slice; Shadow Swan is definitely very skilled and deft with a blade."

Detective Holden's phone began ringing, and he stepped aside to answer it in private. Once he was gone, Fury's blazing eyes were on two of his best agents, "We've been after Shadow Swan for over two years. We need to catch her and soon!"

"So, DNA came through. We now know who our victim is," Detective Holden said as he walked back over to them, his face looking deeply disturbed, "And you won't believe this. Our victim is Horace Waldor, the Brooklyn Molester. We've been after his ass for fifteen years. He's raped a myriad of females from Brooklyn rating from ages six to twenty."

Everyone gaped at him in shock at the revelation.

"Did Shadow Swan just do the state a favor?" Natasha spoke blandly, "Because a pedophile deserves castration."

"Shadow Swan is a ruthless, cold-blooded killer. Nailing Waldor's damn cock to the wall screams personal. Means she had a personal vendetta with the victim," Nick Fury growled; he hated the fact that Shadow Swan was succeeding in confusing him.

"She's sending out a message," Clint refuted, "Shadow Swan wants all pedophiles and rapists to be scared of her. She's out to get them."

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

It has been six months since a hysterical Odette barged into Lee and Lexi's flat ranting and raving about her run-in with Loki and Thor.

Odette paid Bree a visit in Georgia and together they combined their unique brands of magic to cast a cloaking spell on her, hidden from Heimdall's prying eyes. She knew that was how Thor and Loki found her after she killed Horace Waldor, and the only reason she hadn't thought of cloaking herself before was because it had been four years since seeing anyone from Asgard.

Lee and Lexi moved into one of Emrys' manor in London, it was only twenty minutes away from Potter Manor and it was expertly hidden; even the old codger Dumbledore wouldn't be able to locate the place.

Odette would bring little Harry to Lee and Lexi's who adored him, and constantly spoiled him with toys and treats. Harry had his own room in the manor and would take naps there whenever Odette visited them – if they weren't Shadow Traveling out of London.

She had placed an alarm around little Harry's room that would alert her when either James or Lily were approaching his room. Odette would quickly transport him back to his cot, and the Potters were none the wiser that their youngest child was barely at home.

Finally, Odette decided it was time to face the music. Six months after her run-in with the Asgardians, Odette dream-walked to Asgard to confront Loki; Lexi was right, she couldn't keep hiding from him forever.

She silently made her way to Loki's chambers and knocked twice. When she heard Loki's familiar voice bid her entry from inside, she took a deep breath and walked in.

"Wha –"Loki's words died in his throat when he saw his Grænn gimsteinn standing by the door, her soulless emerald eyes staring at him. "Grænn gimsteinn minn?"

"Yes, it is me," she answered in clipped tones. "However, I don't know why you would call me your green gem, when you didn't bother visiting me for four years," she glared at him, and Loki flinched at her tone and impassiveness.

Loki took a few careful steps towards her, his eyes beseechingly staring into hers, "Odette, I wanted to, _believe me_. It killed me, not being able to see you. We were at war with Jötunheim; they wanted the Casket of Ancient Winters. The Jötuns declared that they would massacre Midgard if the All-Father doesn't hand it over."

While Loki explained his side of the story, Odette didn't give anything away, her face remained stoic and blank, and Loki's voice turned desperate – he needed an emotion out of her, he needed a sign that she forgave him.

"To protect Midgard, the All-Father placed a ban; he used his own magic to bar anyone from entering or leaving, and he had Heimdall block the Bifröst. It has only been four months in Asgard, and four months since I have last seen you. Please say something Grænn gimsteinn minn."

So, Loki never abandoned her. All these years, Odette thought he left her to rot, that he never cared for her and it was all an act on his part. Odette couldn't have been more wrong. Looking into Loki's desperate and forlorn forest green eyes, she could see the truth shining through, but Odette wasn't the same girl Loki knew, and the future depended on whether or not he would be able to accept the new her.

"It's been a bit more than four years, Loki," Odette informed him, her eyes roaming around his chambers, "Everything looks the same."

"What happened to you Odette? I'm not a simpleton, nor am I a dullard. You are not the same girl I last saw. I can see it with my own eyes, and I can taste it from your aura," Loki hissed angrily; he wanted her to trust him, but Odette had closed herself off, and shut him out. "Tell me Odette!"

"Don't you dare think you can demand anything from me and I would simply comply, Loki Odinson!" Odette spat, her eyes darkening to black for a moment before returning to its emerald green. "I am not the same innocent little girl you once knew. Your Grænn gimsteinn is gone, she is _dead_!"

"Don't say that, you are right here-"

"Physically, yes." Odette snapped, her eyes boring into his, "Emotionally, no. I am _not_ the Odette Arielle you knew. I am different. Don't ask a question if you can't handle the answer."

There was silence in Loki's chambers for a long while; Loki and Odette sat in opposite sides of the room, both lost in their own thoughts.

Loki finally broke the silence with two firm words, "Tell me."

Odette's eyebrows rose skeptically, "Are you sure you can handle knowing? I have only confided in two others, and I trust them. I would only tell you because of our past, our relationship depends on your actions. So, are you sure you can handle knowing?" Odette repeated.

"Yes," Loki whispered, his eyes never leaving Odette's.

Odette nodded; taking in a deep breath, she began talking, her voice completely detached, "After the ball made for Charlus where they celebrated his fourth birthday, James Potter yelled at me for speaking with a couple of _unsavory people_ and hit me."

"So it wasn't Charlus," Loki interrupted in a hiss. "It was your father that was hitting you all this time."

The only change in Odette's demeanor was the darkening of her eyes and she spoke in a cold voice, " _Don't call him my father!_ James Potter is nothing more than a sperm donor in my opinion!" Loki's eyes widened – Odette Arielle worshipped her father; what else has changed?

"Anyways. I was hysterical after James left me alone. I was bawling my eyes out and yelling your name. I accidentally apparated myself into the streets of Russia," Odette paused slightly and Loki watched as she pulled a tiny object from her pocket and enlarge it with a wand that magically appeared into her hand.

It was a stoned basin with rune markings carved. She pointed her wand to the side of her head and began pulling countless silvery wisps that resembled a cloud-like gas and dropped them into the basin.

"What is that?" Loki frowned, his head tilted in confusion.

"This, this is a pensieve where one can store and view memories. The silvery substances are my memories. It would be quicker if you watch what happened," Odette approached Loki, levitating the pensieve and setting it onto the dressing table.

"One last thing you should know; apparating from London to Russia depleted my magic. Step in," Odette walked over and sat on his bed. Loki frowned in confusion, "You're not joining me?"

Odette scoffed, "I lived through it once already, why on earth would I want to relive it again?"

Loki plunged into Odette's memories and watched as Ivan Vanko grabbed her, followed by the months she spent living with him and being raped by him. How the innocence and the fire left her eyes, only to be replaced by despair and indifference.

He watched her time in the Red Room; how the Generals Petrovich punished her, tortured her and pushed her to kill at such a young age. How they had her murder her only friend and sort of older sister, Zelda and how that event changed her forever. Loki could do nothing but watch as she got tortured for months afterwards and then become a cold and ruthless assassin; a killing machine. He stared in dismay as they injected her with a serum, and how her heart stopped beating for a while.

Loki then observed as her magic had finally returned to her and how she killed Yasmine before traveling to Germany. He watched her kill the two other assassins and make her escape. The pensieve showed him how she evolved into Shadow Swan before it spat him back out, and Loki roughly clutched the carpet in his hands.

He didn't realize that he had tears streaming down his face, and when he looked up to face Odette, he finally understood. Whenever Odette showed any emotions she would be brutally beaten and punished; she was tortured not to feel pain. Loki wanted to murder Ivan Vanko, Pyotr and Pavel Petrovich.

"No," Odette said firmly, her eyes burning with malice and a sinister smile splayed on her face, "Those three are for me to kill. Me and me alone; I deserve that much."

She then took a few careful steps and engulfed in a hug which Loki eagerly returned. Pulling away, Loki said, "I don't care if you're different, you are and always will be Grænn gimsteinn minn."

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

Ten year old Odette Potter was currently sitting in a café in New York waiting for Lexi, who was shopping as usual.

After she had reconciled with Loki, he continued teaching her his brand of magic, allowing her to branch out and making her even more powerful than ever. Thor had been glad to see her, although he was still shocked from when he had last seen her over a dead body.

Fandral and Hogun were glad that they're Spýta-eldur had returned to them safely, even though she had a different nature than before, they accepted her as she was, no questions asked. Frigga cried a lot, before strangling her in a suffocating hug, and then cried even more – she knew that something tragic happened to the girl she saw as a daughter and dearly missed, to change her enormously, but she didn't pry, instead she showered her with huge heaps of love and affection.

Odin was disappointed in how she turned out; he could sense the blood of a fully-charged killer running through her veins, however, the dark aura he had felt before that was leeching onto her soul had vanished – he assumed that Odette Arielle discovered it on her own and found a way to extract it.

Lady Sif however; now that was an amusing reunion.

Sif never missed a chance to glare and cuss at Odette whenever she was nearby, until she had finally challenged her to spar. Sif scoffed derisively that a little girl thought she had a chance of defeating her, an _Asgardian_.

Odette gladly proved her wrong, none but Loki knowing the secret to her abnormal strength.

"You used magic! That's cheating," Sif screamed struggling from the tight hold Fandral and Hogun had on her.

Odette yawned loudly and crossed her arms, "In a battle, one must use all their resources to win _Lady Sif_. If I were someone else, you'd be dead, complaining in the Valinor about how said person cheated … of course, that's _if_ you get sent there," Odette said in a cold tone.

"Odette Potter?"

Odette snapped back to the present, her emerald green eyes flickering to the two people that sat across from her. The man had navy blue eyes, chestnut brown hair, and a hard jaw, with a straight nose and strong cheekbones. He was a handsome man, and he had a muscled, lean body. The girl on the other hand, looked like she meant business; her hair was an auburn red and reached just below her neck, her eyes were cerulean blue, and she had a round face with pouty lips and a small nose.

Odette inwardly smirked to herself; she knew exactly who they were – Agents Barton and Romanoff of S.H.E.I.L.D. Odette found out that there was a spy in the Red Room with her numerous connections and she knew that Director Nick Fury had been looking for her since her grand escape in Germany; Odette also knew that S.H.E.I.L.D. was searching endlessly and wasting many resources on her counterpart, Shadow Swan.

Plastering on a fake look of confusion, Odette said, "Yes? Can I help you?"

"Yes. My name is Thomas and this is my partner Lisa," Agent Barton introduced themselves with a smile. "We work for S.H.E.I.L.D., Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate and we have come to offer you a chance to become an agent when you are older."

"Oh? And why would I want to do that?" Odette cocked an eyebrow, her eyes glaring into both Agents.

"Because you were trained to be an assassin, you could do a lot of good using your skills and become an Agent for S.H.E.I.L.D.," Agent Romanoff spoke up adamantly, her face stone-like, "We can protect you, but if you kill out there, then you'll find yourself in the slammer."

Odette chuckled dryly, a cruel smile pronounced on her small face, "Is this the winning speech Agent Barton over here gave you to get you to quit the Red Room and become an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., _Natalia_?"

The atmosphere around their table lowered drastically, and the two Agents contemplatively stared at the ten year old in shock. Agent Romanoff couldn't completely hide her surprise at being called by her christened name; the last time anyone called her Natalia was when she was still in the Red Room.

"You know," Agent Barton simple stated.

Odette scoffed derisively, "You think I ran away from the Red Room to become an incompetent girl living on the streets Agent Barton? I make sure I know who is after me, who is stalking me and I am smart enough to disregard a silly pitch such as S.H.I.E.L.D."

"What's wrong with becoming an Agent and work alongside us?" Agent Barton demanded in a hard tone. Odette smirked at Agent Romanoff; thanks to Generals Petrovich, she knew everything about Natasha Romanoff, and one thing she was famous for was mental interrogation.

"I don't work for anyone. I play by my own rules, and do whatever the hell I wanna do. Comprende?" Odette leaned back, regarding the two Agents coldly, "Tell Director Fury to stay the hell away from me. No one is ever in charge of me."

At that moment, her phone vibrated alerting her that she had received a text message; Lexi finished and was waiting for her in the alleyway by the café since she heard the conversation with her vampire hearing and knew not to interrupt.

Standing up, Odette glared impassively at them, "I'd say it was a pleasure to meet you, but really it wasn't."

Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff stared at her retreating back and once she left Clinton whistled, "Damn Nat! She's worse than you. I didn't think anyone could be colder or even more detached than you."

Natasha shrugged, "She's still out fresh from the Red Room, maybe in a few years she'll b –"Natasha's attention drifted over to a napkin spotted underneath the dollar bills Odette hastily threw on the table.

Clinton watched warily as Natasha snatched the napkin, "Nat, what is it?"

Leaning forward, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. No way, no fucking way! That wasn't … Shit.

 _Next time do your research properly,_

 _You never know who you could be talking to,_

 _Give Nick Fury my love,_

 _XOXO – Shadow Swan._

Natasha stuffed the napkin into her pocket and the two Agents ran out of the café searching the streets for vibrant ruby red hair that would stand out easily in a crowd; for the girl they had been talking to for the last twenty minutes.

"She's gone! She wouldn't reveal herself and stick around to watch our reactions," Natasha growled.

Clinton cursed, kicking a pebble hard, "I can't believe we didn't figure it out ages ago, Nat! Shadow Swan emerged a few months after Odette Potter escaped from the Red Room! It was so glaringly obvious and we missed it!"

Natasha pursed her lips in disapproval of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s failure; "Come on, Clint. We have to inform Fury. I don't want to imagine what his reaction would be."

Unknown to the two Agents, a witch and a vampire leaned against the café's window under a disillusionment and silencing charm, watching the whole incident in amusement.

 **A/N:** **How did you like this chapter? We're finally nearing Hogwarts, YAY!**

 **Grænn gimsteinn minn – My green gem.**

 **Spýta-eldur – Spitfire.**

 **Lítil stúlka – Little girl.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Chapter 17:**

Director Fury got the message that Agents Barton and Romanoff had finally arrived from their mission. Their mission was to locate Odette Potter and convince her into joining S.H.I.E.L.D.; she was a highly trained assassin and from what his spy in the Red Room informed him, the little girl left a huge impact on many … she had a reputation, and most of the girls in the Red Room were frightened of her, and rightfully so.

Odette Potter could give Black Widow a run for her money, and Nick Fury needed her planted firmly on their side, especially with Shadow Swan lurking about and out there terrorizing the nation … Apparently, Shadow Swan got bored of America and had moved on to England. Nick Fury was sure that Shadow Swan would target Europe next, and she must be stopped at all costs.

"Director Fury?"

Nick Fury snapped out of his thoughts to see Hawkeye and Black Widow standing by his door, awaiting his permission for admittance.

"Come in. So tell me what is your report on Odette Potter? I take it your early arrival implies you have succeeded in locating her?" Director Fury asked them as his two best Agents took their respective seats opposite him.

"Oh, we found her all right," Barton blurted out, and Nick was curious as to what had him so unsettled. "Director, she wanted to be found. She made it easy for us."

"That means you are good at what you do Agent Barton," Director Fury dismissed him without a second thought, only for his brow to furrow in surprise when Black Widow agreed with her partner.

"No Director, Barton's right with his assumption. She knew who we were before we gave her fake names. She was relaxed, not feeling threatened the least bit by us. She also," Romanoff swallowed harshly before continuing with a grudging tone, "She also knew that we've been looking for her ever since she escaped the Red Room."

"She's been at least ten steps ahead of us. She purposely made it easy for us to find her today," Barton added with a growl. He didn't like the fact that Odette Potter had so easily evaded them, and she made it quite clear to them that she _allowed_ them a reprieve.

Nick sighed and rubbed a weary had over his face. His one eye flickered to his two best Agents and he growled, "Will she join?" That was the question he desperately needed a response to, and his heart dropped when both Agents solemnly shook their heads in unison.

"She was adamant that nobody can control her," Barton explained angrily, "Her exact words were 'I don't work for anyone. I play by my own rules, and do whatever the hell I wanna do.'"

Romanoff spoke next and Nick could hear the grudging admiration in her voice, "She isn't one for teamwork, Director. I believe it would be a waste of our time to continue going after her."

Nick slumped in his seat. Now with Odette Potter definitely out, he needed to concentrate on a plan for capturing the illusive Shadow Swan that was constantly grating on his nerves for years. The best course of action for the time being would be to wait for Potter to grow older before they approach her again.

Focusing on his two Agents once again, he noted that they were nervous. Barton and Romanoff were never nervous, and so, Nick knew that he wouldn't like what they had to say. "What is it?" he gruffly demanded.

"We, uh, we found Shadow Swan," Barton admitted, wincing when the Director's pupil blew wildly with excitement and he sat up in his seat looking perfectly content.

"And? What happened?"

Agent Romanoff merely handed over a napkin from a café and the two Agents readied themselves for their Director to blow his gasket.

 _Next time do your research properly,_

 _You never know who you could be talking to,_

 _Give Nick Fury my love,_

 _XOXO – Shadow Swan._

"It was left by Odette Potter after she had departed the café," Romanoff mentioned after Director Fury dropped the napkin from his clutches.

Nick Fury was eerily silent, the only hint the two Agents received of his impending ire was the particular vein on his forehead that was threatening to erupt, and when he spoke, his voice was deadly calm, "Do you mean to tell me, that we have spent _years_ on multiple Agents, different leads, resources and time, searching for _two different people_ , when they have been the _same_ _person_ all this time?"

Agents Barton and Romanoff merely responded with a stiff nod.

"Shadow Swan began terrorizing the nation a few months after Odette Potter escaped the Red Room!" Nick Fury growled, instantly off his seat, making his swiveling chair crash loudly against the floor, and the two Agents winced.

Placing both hands firmly on the table, his head leaning towards the two Agents, he continued with furious tones, " _A child_! A child assassin! We've been running around like chickens with our heads cut off over _a child_! _A child_ who so happens to be an experienced killer and has murdered many citizens in the most gruesome ways. A CHILD!" he roared, banging his fist on the table.

Agents and workers bustling on the same floor as Director Nick Fury's office froze in their respective position; a mixture of curiosity and dread – Nick Fury in a rage was a very unpleasant occurrence for S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Find her! If it's that last thing we do, we need to find her and kill her!" Director Fury roared.

"We can't. She knows how to hide her tracks," Barton huffed, crossing his arms together in annoyance.

Romanoff lifted an eyebrow, "Director, I don't think killing her is the best course of action. She could be a great boon for S.H.I.E.L.D."

"She said she would never join," Barton reminded her with a scoff.

Nick Fury settled each of them with a glare; it was outstanding how he could scare them shitless with only one eye. "I don't care what you do! Get her off the streets and away from killing the citizens."

Director Nick Fury was unsettled, and he knew that Shadow Swan had done it purposely, she had played them expertly. She was a deft assassin, and only a child, yet she had won this round. She wanted to be found out, she panned her exposure to S.H.I.E.L.D., and she was showing Nick Fury and in relation S.H.E.I.L.D. that the only reason they found her was only because she allowed it.

Director Nick Fury would not let her win the next round.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

It was July 31st, meaning it was Odette Arielle Potter's eleventh birthday.

The very day she had been waiting for had finally arrived, and Odette felt excitement spark in her veins, and a sinister glint appeared in her eyes. Now her revenge against the Potters and the Wizarding World was at its beginning.

Her Hogwarts letter would be arriving soon and she was not about to miss James, Lily and Charlus' facial expression and their reactions when they realize how wrong they and that old, barmy codger had been. For the first time in years, Odette was looking forward to being around the Potters and attending breakfast with them.

Oh, they would rue the day they treated her like nothing but the sole dirt beneath their feet, and no one, _no one_ would escape her wrath. They would rue the day they listened to Albus Dumbledore, who wasn't the leader of light they all expected him to be.

Odette Potter would be around to watch it all come crashing down.

For the Potters however, it was an exciting day, one for the photo albums as the house elves prepared a luxurious buffet for the Boy-Who-Lived. James and Lily were looking forward to the Hogwarts owl's arrival, and they couldn't help but beam proudly at their son.

It was when four-year-old little Harry began gurgling enthusiastically and giggled, "Odie," did the elder Potters and Charlus snap their heads and find Odette Potter join them at the table.

"What are you doing here?" Charlus sneered maliciously. His twin had never before joined them for breakfast, and he liked it that way.

Odette barely spared him a glance as she forked some pancakes and bacon to her plate. "Eating, duh. Are you that dense, Charlie?" she drawled, a smirk present on her face at the enraged look on her twin's face.

"Motherrrr," he whined, "It's my birthday! Make her leave; she's ruining my special day."

James fidgeted uncomfortably but decided to let his lovely wife handle the situation, he could barely look at the daughter he had forgotten all about.

Lily glared down at Odette with a scowl and snapped, "Take your plate to your room! I will not have you ruin your brother's birthday and him receiving him Hogwarts letter because you are a squib! Jealousy is not allowed in this household!"

"Oh, don't worry. I'll be out of your hair once I'm done," Odette smiled sweetly, though no one noticed the way her eyes glinted maliciously. She then reassembled her face into a forlorn look and pouted, "I really wanted to visit Diagon Alley with you today."

James shifted in his seat and made the mistake of staring his daughter directly in the face, wincing when he noted her adorable puppy dog face.

"You're a squib, Odette! You can't enter the magical world with us, it's not your place," Charlus sneered, but he kept his superior attitude in check.

"Yes, exac –"Lily was cut off however when _two_ owls landed nearby.

"Lily Flower, why are there two owls?" James frowned in bafflement as he stood up and headed over to retrieve the letters, none of the Potters noticing the evil smile playing on Odette's cherubic face.

"Albus probably sent Charlus a letter for his birthday," Lily answered dismissively as she readied the camera for her darling Boy-Who-Lived. But Odette's emerald eyes were focused solely on James Potter as he finally relieved the owls of their burden, and his face turned extremely comical, gaping at the second letter that lay in his hand.

"Lil-Lil-Lily! Merlin, Lily!" James gasped, a choking sound coming from his throat as he slowly walked over to his wife. Her eyes turned into the size of a galleon when she read the envelope.

 _ **Ms. O. Potter**_

 _ **The First Kitchen**_

 _ **Potter Manor**_

"What's going on?" Charlus demanded heatedly, not appreciating being ignored by his parents.

"But you're a squib! Albus said so himself," Lily cried as she stared at her daughter.

Odette snatched her letter from Lily's grip and drawled, "Apparently not."

James Potter felt like he had been kicked in the gut as he stared horror-struck at his daughter … the memories of what they did to her, how they ignored her for not having magic, him – him _hitting_ her and grounding her, shouting cruelly at her. Odette disappearing from their sight for three years after her fourth birthday, everything rushed back in, and he felt faint as he struggled to stand upright.

Lily Potter on the other hand beamed with delightful joy; there was nothing wrong with her after all. Her daughter had magic, she was a witch. She always feared that since she was a Muggleborn it was her fault for producing a squib and so she hated her only daughter and ignored her existence to disregard her failure. But there was nothing wrong with her … Odette was a witch, and relief flooded her veins.

Charlus Potter was jealous. He enjoyed being better than his twin, and he adored all the attention given freely to him. But now that his twin was discovered of being a witch, the attention would be split, and he did not like it one bit.

Lily rushed over to Odette and engulfed her in a hug, "Oh, my darling daughter. I am so proud! Oh, James isn't it wonderful."

Odette sneered at her mother and yanked herself from her suffocating grip. How dare that bitch think all would be forgotten and forgiven because of the arrival of her Hogwarts letter?

James winced; Odette's reaction didn't go unnoticed by him this time and he weakly choked, "Yes, wonderful."

After an hour of Lily Potter's annoying blathering as she crowed on and on about her two babies attending Hogwarts and snapping incessant pictures of them, they headed off to Diagon Alley. Odette made sure to set a large distance between herself and the Potters as Charlus' fans crowded around him, congratulating the Boy-Who-Lived for getting accepted into Hogwarts.

"And who may I ask is this enchanting young lady?" a short man with a squeaky voice beamed as he looked at Odette. There was silence around the Leaky Cauldron as everyone stared at a bored Odette.

"Dedalus, this is, this is our daughter, Odette," James smiled weakly. Charlus glared at Odette with well-written fury on his features, and Odette merely lifted an eyebrow, aggravated with everyone's continuous staring.

"We didn't know you had a daughter," the barman, Tom gasped out in surprise.

Odette reveled in the Potter's awkwardness. Of course, Lily Potter was a scheming bitch, and she always had a plan up her sleeves. She smiled and walked over to Odette, placed a hand gently on her shoulder and said, "Yes, she is Charlus' twin sister. She's not comfortable around crowds; she prefers to seek solace in the manor, so she doesn't go out much."

James winced yet again at Lily's words, Odette on the other hand faced everyone's gaping and dumbstruck stare with a face devoid of any emotion and snapped, "Take a picture, it will last longer!"

The patrons in the pub recoiled at her words and the emotionless look on her face and Lily stared at her daughter, scandalized, "Odette! That is no way to talk to people, young lady."

Odette faked contrite and said in an innocent voice, "I'm sorry, _mother_. I missed out on the parenting." There was a bite to her words, and an underlying meaning that James and Lily both understood clearly, and they wasted no time in ushering the twins to the entrance of Diagon Alley and away from the many curious stares.

"Odette Arielle Potter, you listen here –"

Odette cut in on Lily's scolding, she wasn't about to play their game any longer, and she had had enough. It was time it put them in their place. She wanted to buy her Hogwarts materials and meet up with Lexi for her birthday. Turning to stare at the Potters, she sneered and spoke in an icy tone, "No, _you_ listen to _me_! Go shopping for your precious Boy-Who-Lived and stop acting like the caring and doting mother we both know you aren't!"

"Odette, don't talk to your mother that way," James sternly informed her, his eyes imploring her to behave.

Odette cackled softly, causing the three Potters to recoil at the sound, "Or what? You gonna hit me again, _daddy_?" she sneered, enjoying the forlorn and guilty look that overtook James' face at the reminder, "Newsflash! You aren't my mother, _Lily_. God knows I received not an ounce of parenting from either one of you in a decade."

Now it was Lily's turn to flinch. Charlus merely stood smugly behind his parents; it was obvious to him that he wasn't required to do anything to alienate his twin, she was doing it all by herself.

"I'm shopping on my own. Wouldn't want to ruin the perfect image of the Lord and Lady Potter and the Wizarding World's savior," Odette sneered as she walked away from them.

"Come back here, Odette!" James yelled after her, but it was too late. His daughter was lost in the crowd. As the elder Potters shopped for Charlus, they kept a wary eye out for their missing daughter. Unfortunately, they didn't believe in their wildest dreams that Odette Arielle Potter would be sitting with High Goblin, Ragnok in his office, chatting as though they were the best of friends over tea and biscuits.

"So, your plan is going smoothly, yes?" Ragnok grinned; his pointed teeth visibly clear on his face.

Odette winked, "Cheers, my goblin-friend. It is all going according to plan, they won't know what hit them," sitting up straight, her face turned solemn, all joking aside, "So tell me, Ragnok. In your letter, you mentioned that there was a matter of extreme importance we needed to discuss."

"Yes," Ragnok cleared his throat, before regaling his discoveries, "Ever since you took your place as the Lady of many Noble and most Ancient Houses, and became a friend to the goblin nation, I have had some of my best goblins searching for information you would be interested in, partaking you in particular."

"And of course, you found something of value otherwise you wouldn't have included it in your letter," Odette mused, her eyes glinting with curiosity.

Ragnok grinned widely, "Of course. Before your birth took place, a prophecy was made. Now I do not know its contents but what we have discovered was that it was prophesized to Albus Dumbledore by Sibyll Trelawney, the Divination professor at Hogwarts. The prophecy spoke of a certain child and the Dark Lord, and at that time, the Potters and Longbottoms went into hiding."

"Voldemort acted upon the prophecy when he tried to kill Charlus and I," Odette carried on Ragnok's line of thoughts.

"Precisely. Since the Wizarding World hail Charlus Potter as the Boy-Who-Lived, Dumbledore and the Potters believe him to be the child of the prophecy, when in actuality it is you," Ragnok informed her.

"Voldemort isn't dead from what the Horcrux that used my body as a container told us. The prophecy would explain a lot," Odette chuckled sinisterly, a plan already forming in her head. "Where is the prophecy currently?"

"It is in the Department of Mysteries, in the Hall of Prophecies. Only the two the prophecy speaks of can lift it from its place," Ragnok contributed.

"And that is where it shall reside for the time being," Odette smirked. Upon noticing Ragnok's incredulous stare, Odette relayed her plan, "Voldemort will rise in power once again, _that_ is inevitable, Ragnok. And when he does, the old fool and the Potters will race to achieve the prophecy. Timing is everything," she winked. "I cannot wait to see their expression when Charlus Potter cannot take ahold of it in his possession."

"Brilliant," Ragnok let out a hair-raising and vindictive laugh, "You are quite the evil Potter, aren't you, my Lady."

"And I will make sure no one ever forgets that," she grinned back.

Upon concluding their meeting, Odette withdrew money from one of her vaults and immersed herself into the throng of Diagon Alley, shopping for Hogwarts at her own pace and thankfully not running into the Potters; she deduced they had already left the Alley since her meeting with Ragnok ran long.

Ollivanders was her last stop, and even though she already had quite a powerful wand, Odette knew that she had to buy one to preserve her cover; she needed a wand to be used around the Hogwarts staff to avoid suspicion.

"Ms. Potter, I was wondering when I would be seeing you. Your parents have been worried," Ollivander appeared out of nowhere, her bored face reflected in his silver eyes, "Yet you already have quite a powerful wand hidden under your sleeve."

"Bravo, Mr. Ollivander, and I am here for another one," Odette drawled as she approached the front desk.

"A witch or wizard need a license for an extra wand," he informed her in his regular hoarse voice.

Odette dumped a piece of parchment on his desk and spoke in an icy tone, "Wand maker Mancini already informed me of this and got me a license. Turns out, his granddaughter works in the corrupt British Ministry, can you believe that?" she said scornfully.

Ollivander stared directly into emerald green eyes and a shiver ran through his spine; she was very dark, and very powerful. She would make a formidable enemy; problem was, she already was since she despised Magical Britain.

Conversation stilted as Ollivander passed her multiple wands, but none of them worked. The wands all rejected her, and so, he decided to act upon his suspicions – Charlus Potter didn't hold a candle compared to his twin, and he felt an ominous feeling stir in the air as he handed over the brother wand to Voldemort.

Gold, black and silver sparks emanated from the wand in Odette's hand, and she noted Ollivander's face pale drastically, "Spit it out, Ollivander!"

"That wand contains a phoenix feather. That certain phoenix gave out two feathers, _just_ two. One of them resides in the Dark Lord's wand. It is curious that you would be destined for that wand, when it's brother gave Charlus Potter his scar," Ollivander's voice trembled. However, he halted all of a sudden and his eyes bulged when he noticed the cruel smirk on Odette's face and he gasped, his hand clutching his chest as the answer hit him.

"It was not Charlus Potter who defeated the Dark Lord. It was you," he stated in awe and dread.

"And of course, this information stays between us, am I correct, Mr. Ollivander?" Odette smiled sweetly, the threat lacing her tone.

"Y-Yes of, of course, of course, Ms. Potter," Ollivander stuttered with a bow.

"Hmm," Odette pierced the frightened, old wand maker with her deadened eyes, "I am sure Dumbledore is expecting a letter from you, stating that his precious Boy-Who-Lived owns the brother wand. You shall tell him that the wand chose _no one_ , and that neither of us has it. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-Yes, yes Ms. Potter, of course."

Throwing seven galleons at his face, Odette sneered warningly, "You don't want me as your enemy Ollivander. I will know if you inform him."

As Ollivander watched the young Ms. Potter leave his store, he wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and whistled to himself. Odette Potter would either save the Wizarding World, or destroy it.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

It was nighttime, and there were barely a few hours to the end of July 31st. Charlus was currently fast asleep in his room with a wide smile on his face; he had enjoyed his birthday celebrations and his trip to Diagon Alley.

But not all the inhabitants of Potter Manor had a clear conscious, for James Potter had a tumbler of Firewhiskey in his hand, his mind muddled with thoughts of the past and he was consumed by guilt. He did not dare inform Sirius that Odette received her letter that day, for he knew his best friend would tell him 'I told you so.'

James regretted the past decade, the more he thought about how they neglected Odette and hid her from the outside world, the more disgusted he became with himself. His parents would be disappointed; they would be revolted with their son and his actions. James Potter came from a light family, and he despised the way Purebloods treated their squib children, yet he was no better.

Odette showed them nothing but cruel hatred, and James wanted to curl up and die. His precious princess was no longer there, the little angelic girl that starved for her father's attention had vanished, only to be replaced by an uncaring eleven-year-old that held nothing but malice towards them.

James threw his tumbler into the fireplace, watching as the glass shattered and the fire roared violently. There was one person he wanted to confront, and he grabbed a handful of floo powder and disappeared with the green flames, appearing in the Headmaster's office.

"James, what is –"

" _You_! This is your fault, Albus!" James yelled at the top of his lungs, causing the great Albus Dumbledore to take a step back in shock.

"What are you referring to, James?" he asked quite calmly, his blue eyes piercing hazel ones in confusion.

"My daughter! My little girl. You, _you_ said she was a … a _squib_ ," James spat angrily.

Albus gaped at James for a moment, before speaking, "And she is, James wha –"Albus' eyes widened at an incredulous rate when James smacked a letter under his long, crooked nose. He opened and closed his mouth countless times when he read the Hogwarts letter that was clearly addressed to Odette Potter.

"Explain this, then," James snarled through gritted teeth, his face red with indescribable rage. But Albus found himself at a loss of words, and for the first time, he was rendered speechless. How had he mistaken the girl as a squib … it wasn't possible. Yet there it was, as clear as the day, she was a witch.

Odette Potter wasn't raised properly by James and Lily, like Charlus was. She never looked upon himself as a mentor. She was now a wildcard; Odette Potter lived a life of neglect, cast to the shadows as she observed her brother gain everything and her nothing.

Albus Dumbledore feared she might travel the same path Tom Riddle did, before he fashioned himself followers and evolved into Voldemort. He would have to keep a wary eye on young Odette Potter upon her arrival to Hogwarts and ensnare her to his side in the war. He would have her followed around the clock.

Odette Potter must turn to their side at all costs; otherwise he would have to arrange a swift death.

When James Potter returned to Potter Manor after an hour of tongue-thrashing Dumbledore, he checked Odette's room again, faintly surprised to find her exiting the bathroom in her pajamas.

"Where were you today? You missed your birthday celebration," James said softly; he wanted his daughter back. But when harsh emerald eyes flashed in his direction, he knew it wouldn't be an easy feat.

"Funny, I haven't had one in a decade. Oh, but I forgot, now that I'm not a squib it changes things," she sneered sarcastically, her voice sending shivers down his spine.

"Odette, where were you? I searched the house high and low for you and you weren't here," James spoke sternly. No matter what happened in the past, she was still his daughter and he her father, and nothing gives Odette the right to leave the manor on her own. She was only eleven after all.

Odette stared impassively at him, her face devoid of all emotion, something a young girl shouldn't have, "It doesn't concern you." Just as James was about to berate her, Odette spoke again, "I mentioned to you once that I wasn't a squib, you didn't believe me. You called me a liar; you lost all rights to demand anything from me James Potter, now get out of my room!" she snarled with venom.

James stared at his daughter for a while before he stormed out of her room and into his office. He withdrew his pensieve, searching for a particular memory he had blocked from his mind, and drowned himself in the memory.

 _Three years old Odette was playing in the living room with her stuffed Padfoot plushy when Charlus snatched it from her hand and began stomping on it. She began wailing loudly at the top of her lungs, causing James and Lily to dash into the room and demand what was wrong._

 _All of a sudden, Odette had both hands outstretched, and the plushy levitated into her arms, eliciting giggles out of her. They stopped however when Lily engulfed Charlus in a big hug instead of her._

" _Oh, my baby. James did you see that?! Charlus gave his sister her toy back using accidental magic," Lily squealed, peppering Charlus' face with many kisses. James beamed proudly and ruffled his hair, "Atta boy."_

" _But-But it was me! I did it daddy," Odette cried, sniffling loudly and staring beseechingly at James._

" _Odette! We spoke about this before. There is no lying allowed under our roof," Lily snarled. She carried a smirking Charlus into her arms and told James to punish her._

" _Daddy? It was me, I pwomise."_

" _You are a squib, Odette! You have no magic; you know how much I don't tolerate lying," James growled, smacking Odette hard, "Go to your room and think of your actions!"_

James was plunged out of the pensieve, and he fell down onto the ground, tears of guilt and sorrow leaking from his eyes as his ears rang with the echoes Odette's cries, and the image of her tear-stained and forlorn face seared into his memory.

"What have I done?" he muttered to himself, "Merlin, what have I done?"

 **A/N:** **Finally, the plot thickens and the gig is up. Next chapter will be part 2 of The Forgotten Potter and she will be going to Hogwarts. I hope you liked Nick Fury's reaction, I added it for some of the readers who wanted to read that part.**

 **Another note I want to mention; just because Odette is in Hogwarts, it doesn't mean she will stay there … don't forget that she is still Shadow Swan and she can shadow travel easily out of Hogwarts, so I won't be constantly showing her time at Hogwarts until she graduates.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Chapter 18:**

The Potters were stopped on their way to Platform 9 ¾ by a mob of reporters led by Rita Skeeter, all excited about the Boy-Who-Lived beginning at Hogwarts. While James, Lily and Charlus preened and puffed up under the spotlight, Odette grabbed Harry's tiny hand and ran through the barrier at a speed, not wanting to be around that suffocating sight for the sake of choking under their giant egos.

Odette was staring at her surroundings searching for Lee and Lexi who had all but demanded she give them a portkey since they wanted to see her off instead of her so-called parents, when Lily's shriek brought her to the arrival of the Potters.

"Odette Arielle Potter! You scared me half to death! Don't you leave again with Harold without informing me," Lily growled angrily, gathering an unhappy and wiggling Harry into her arms. James chuckled nervously and placed an arm around Lily while Charlus sneered at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. With you all hogging the reporters, I assumed it was safer for Harry with me to keep our distance. We wouldn't want to tarnish the image of the precious savior of the Wizarding World with our presence," Odette said blandly, glowing emeralds piercing into nearly identical ones.

Charlus' sneer became more pronounced as he addressed his twin, "You don't have to be jealous, Odette, just because no one cares about you." Odette had an amused smile splayed on her face, but her eyes were sharp as they glared a hole into Charlus' forehead while James fidgeted uncomfortably and placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

Of course, they would never berate their precious savior, Odette scoffed inwardly – but she didn't care anymore; she wiped her hands clean from the Potters years ago. The five Potters stood in silence for a moment longer before they heard someone yell Odette's name, and James, Lily and Charlus watched in shock, their jaws gaping as Odette's cold and impassive face morphed into warmth and happiness as she spotted the owner of the voice.

"Lexi! Lee!" she squealed running towards the opposite direction and flinging herself into the arms of a pretty, blonde woman before disentangling herself and sharing the same sentiments with the handsome dark-haired man that stood beside her and twirled her around in circles.

"Who are they?" Lily hissed to her husband, feeling jealousy bubble at the warming scene. But James merely shook his head mutely with wide hazel eyes staring in disbelief and hurt. They edged closer to listen in to their conversation making sure to spare Charlus plenty of attention before he began whining.

"You actually came," Odette stated with a smirk. Lexi rolled her eyes and engulfed her sister in another suffocating hug; since Odette was injected with the serum in the Red Room, Lee and Lexi had no fear in treating Odette like a fragile human in case they might break or harm her.

Lexi rolled her eyes fondly, "I can't believe you're leaving me, uh I mean _us_ ," she corrected in response to Lee nudging her, eliciting a giggle out of Odette's mouth.

Odette smacked her lightly, "You know that I'll still see you all the time, stop acting like a big baby."

"I told her the same thing this morning," Lee smirked, ruffling Odette's hair fondly causing her to pout and glare mockingly up at him as she rearranged her ruby red hair.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Lily asked snobbishly as the Potter's approached; their eyes widened however when Harry squealed in delight and outstretched his pudgy arms towards the two vampires, "Wexii! Wee!"

Lexi laughed as little Harry ran over to her and bumped into her legs, hugging them tightly, and she bent down and carried him into her arms, peppering his tiny, childish face with kisses. Lee smiled at the scene before narrowing his eyes at the remaining Potters, "We're no one that concerns you," he growled rudely.

James glared at the strange man that had his daughter practically attached to his side and snapped, "Well those are my children that you two have got your hands all over, so I would say it _does_ concern us."

Odette stared at James and Lily with ultimate boredom written on her face, however her eyes were glinting with amusement and vindictive glee, knowing that Lee and Lexi would crush them like a bug and put them in their place. Lexi passed a delighted Harry over to Lee and placed her arms on her hips, staring ferocious brown eyes that lacked their usual warmth on the Potters, "That's funny, seeing as you two don't seem to do much parenting, I was under the impression Dee _didn't have any parents_."

James and Lily recoiled as though they were slapped, but before they could offer a rebuttal, Charlus began whining over not being the center of attention of his parents and they immediately forgot their surroundings as they placated their little savior.

"Unbelievable," Lexi hissed, seeing for the first time with her own two eyes how exactly James and Lily acted in regards to anyone that weren't Charlus Potter. Ignoring their presence, Lee placed Harry on the ground and the two vampires embraced Odette one last time.

"You enjoy yourself, you hear me? Give other people a chance to know you and befriend them," Lexi parted words of advice to Odette, knowing that with anyone other than Lee, Bree and herself she was standoffish and frigid.

Odette rolled her eyes fondly, "Is this a repetition of the pre-befriending Bree lecture?" Lee chuckled and joined Lexi in giving Odette advice, "We just want everyone to see what we do in you. At least give some a chance. We're not telling you to open up to everyone and hand over your trust so easily."

Odette huffed but acquiesced, " _I'll try_. Anyways, I'll see you both in a few days," she winked, and with one last hug, the two vampires activated their portkey and disappeared from King's Cross, knowing that with Odette being able to Shadow Travel, that they would be seeing her really soon, instead of only during the holidays.

Odette turned to little Harry and gave him giant slobbering kisses as he whined and began to cry, "Ody don't go, don't weave me," he sniffed with a pout, his green eyes pinking slightly with tears.

"I promise you'll see me soon, Harry. Don't cry." After a few more parting words, Odette gathered her trolley and began to stride over to find an empty compartment.

"Odette! Don't we get a hug goodbye?" James called out, Lily stood expectantly next to him watching their only daughter with sad eyes. Odette froze in her spot and turned her face to look at the Potters over her shoulder and scoffed coldly, "No."

James and Lily felt dread and heartbreak but they relocated their attention back to Charlus while Odette sat in an empty compartment and thought over a specific event that happened a week ago when she was with Lexi and Lee at Emrys Manor.

 _Flashback:_

" _Uh, Dee why is there a big black bird in the foyer?" Lexi's nervous voice reached Lee and Odette's ears, causing them to join Lexi and gape at the magnificent sight in front of them._

 _There was an inky black phoenix, darker than the midnight sky with a grey outline and hues of silver and gold surrounding it causing a magical glow, and shadows emanated its contours as though it were a spirit or a fog. Its eyes were bright silver, emanating power and death._

 _Once Odette recovered from her sudden shock, she whispered out, "It's not a bird, but a phoenix, Lex. A Daemonion phoenix to be exact, but that's impossible."_

" _Why is it impossible?" Lee asked curiously._

 _Odette swallowed and began to explain, "They are said to be a myth. In the myth, Daemonion phoenixes are said to travel among demons and spirits and could only be the familiar of one that was truly evil and one that carries too much darkness within them. But therein lay the contradiction since phoenixes are creatures of hope, light and all that is good. Also, I read in one of Merlin's journals that a Daemonion phoenix presented itself to him once and Merlin was the embodiment of light."_

 _Before Lee and Lexi could utter a word, the phoenix began transforming before their very eyes and a few seconds later a regal women stood in its place; she had black hair resembling her color in phoenix form, with gold highlights, and silver eyes that also resembled its phoenix form, and a round face with a sharp aquiline nose. She was dressed in black robes that looked like they were woven from the shadows themselves._

" _Hello Odette Arielle Potter, Lady of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Emrys bequeathed by Lady Magic," the woman uttered in a musical thrill. Odette faced her impassively and demanded in harsh tones, "What do you want?"_

 _If the woman was insulted by Odette's harsh tones she didn't show it, instead she smiled understandably and said, "Many centuries ago, when Merlin roamed the earth I sensed his power and his God given talents and offered myself as his familiar. Wanting to wander Earth alone, he refused and made me an offer; the next powerful witch or wizard to inherit his line shall be gifted with me as their familiar. That person happens to be you."_

" _M-Me," Odette stuttered, she did not expect this to happen when she woke up that morning and her composure cracked slightly._

" _Since I am now your familiar, you are bestowed with the title of the Phoenix Queen, since you are in possession of the most powerful phoenix in existence. All phoenixes are now your friend and ally; they show loyalty to you above all others, even their own master. Do you accept the title of Phoenix Queen and me as your familiar?"_

 _Lee and Lexi were in the same state of shock as Odette, but Lexi was the first one to snap out of it and nudged her hard as she hissed, "Accept it!"_

 _Odette gulped, her face morphing back to its stern and cold features, "I accept both, the offer and the title."_

 _The woman smiled, her face radiating with energy and happiness, "So be it my Queen. First I must be christened with a name, and second I must mark you so that all phoenixes may recognize you for who you are."_

 _Ironically, Odette named her Divus, meaning God, Deity and Spirit in Latin. Divus then transformed into her phoenix form and settled on Odette's shoulder, spreading pure magic onto her body. Lee and Lexi gasped when Odette's shirt melted with black fire caused by Divus, and half her back was branded with a tattoo of the Daemonion phoenix surrounded by black fire._

 _Divus then plucked a feather from her tail and her voice reverberated in Odette's head informing her that the best course of action would be to add it into her wand._

 _End of Flashback._

Odette smirked as she stroked her beloved, powerful wand, amusement glittering in her Avada Kedavra eyes when she recalled Antonio Mancini's comical face when she approached him the day after with the feather of a Daemonion phoenix. Divus sat perched on her shoulder, transformed into an owl form, the same color as her phoenix form.

After a long discussion, Odette deemed it appropriate for Divus to imitate an owl, not wanting to relay all her secrets to the Wizarding World. Oddly enough, Odette grew fond of her familiar extremely quickly, and she enjoyed their mental connection, besides, having a phoenix around her at all times was a boon since she always had her mistress' well-being and safety at heart.

The compartment door suddenly opened and two girls that looked to be Odette's age sauntered in. One of the girls had golden blonde hair that reached her shoulder blades, an angular face with pale skin and sapphire blue eyes and perfectly sculptured eyebrows, the other girl had mahogany brown hair with a round face, soft features, a slight tan and stormy grey eyes. They both looked of nobility and Odette knew that they were from Ancient and Noble Houses.

"Do you mind if we sit with you in your compartment?" the blonde asked; she had an impassive face and spoke coldly, and Odette inwardly smirked – it seems she wasn't going to be the only frigid first year entering Hogwarts.

Odette merely shook her head and waved her hand over the empty seat and said in a colder tone that the blonde, "Help yourselves."

The blonde girl raised an impressive eyebrow at her and dutifully sat down across Odette, while the brunette giggled and sat by the blonde's side, "Daph, you're not going to acquire the title of Ice Queen."

The blonde nudged the brunette and spoke in tones of mock-anger, "Shut it, Trace." Odette's eyes flickered amusedly at the girls' banter, but kept her mouth shut. The brunette however, appeared to be friendly and bubbly and stared Odette in the face, "I'm Tracey Davis, and the mean one beside me is my best friend, Daphne Greengrass."

Daphne rolled her eyes fondly and gave Odette a regal nod. Odette smirked, but kept her emerald eyes hard, simply saying, "Odette Potter."

It was almost instantaneous; both girls' reactions were quite comical as they gazed at Odette with shock and surprise, their mouths gaping in unison, unbefitting for ones of Ancient and Noble Houses. Daphne's curiosity got the best of her and she was the first to snap out of her shocked daze, "Potter? I was under the assumption that Charlus Potter only had a younger brother."

Other than the darkening of Odette's eyes, she looked merely bored, "You and the rest of the Wizarding World. Unfortunately, I am his twin sister, but of course with the title of Boy-Who-Lived, I was unimportant to the Potters."

Daphne nodded in comprehension, but it was Tracey who spoke next, and her words greatly amused the impassive redhead, "Well, Charlus Potter is an arrogant ass. We've met him at balls and ministry parties, and let me tell you, he's a real piece of work."

A smirk played on Odette's lips but before she could get another word in, the compartment door slid open and the ass himself appeared with his sidekick Ron Weasley beside him. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the squib," Charlus sneered viciously, his hazel eyes staring cruelly down at Odette's blank face, "Made friends already? That won't last long."

"Yeah! I don't know what the Headmaster was thinking, allowing the pathetic Potter into Hogwarts," Ron chimed in offering support to his best friend. Daphne and Tracey glared at Charlus and Ron, before switching their gaze to Odette who had a deft blank mask as she stared at them fiercely.

Odette smirked cruelly at them, her eyes glowing with power and malice. When she spoke, her voice came out so icy, that the temperature in the compartment dropped drastically, "Weasley, the only pathetic one around here is you. You have no backbone and follow the savior around like a dog with a bone." Ron flushed an ugly purple, his blue eyes glaring down at Odette even with his embarrassment. Odette paid him no mind as her glare switched to Charlus who fidgeted slightly but valiantly made himself appear to be brave, "You, on the other hand have zero IQ, your stupidity knows no bound."

Standing up abruptly, Odette approached Charlus, her steps resembling a dangerous feline about to pounce and Charlus unconsciously took a step backward, "Let me tell you how things are going to be from here on, _Charlie._ Mommy and Daddy aren't here to save your ass, you mess with me and I _promise_ you, I _will_ destroy you until you are nothing but a shriveling pile of shit on my feet, got it?"

Without waiting for an answer, Odette swiftly snapped out her wand and waved it once, causing Charlus and Ron to fly out of the compartment and land hard on their asses. An innocent look appeared on Odette's face as she said, "Oops, the squib knows magic."

With one last glare at the pathetic boys, she slammed the door shut and returned to her evacuated seat, placing her wand back into its holster and acting nonchalant to the impressed and awe-struck looks directed at her by Daphne and Tracey.

"That was wandless magic," Daphne whispered in reverence, "How did you do that?"

"And what did they mean by squib?" Tracey added.

Odette glared at the two girls, causing them to blanch and flinch, but before she could snap at them that it was none of their business, Divus' voice reverberated in her head; _they are trustworthy my Queen, and they come from powerful families. Do not trust them with everything immediately, but give them a chance._

Knowing that her trusty familiar would never impart her with bad advice and held only her best interests at heart, and with Lee and Lexi's parting words stuck in her head, Odette sighed and offhandedly told them, "Albus Dumbledore informed my parents that I was a squib after Voldemort attacked. _Obviously_ I wasn't, but they believed all accidental magic was from their precious savior. So I spent all my time studying and practicing magic while being ignored by my so-called family."

Daphne and Tracey nodded and Odette was grateful when they changed the subject instantly. Maybe those two girls would be useful acquaintances, after all Odette didn't need or want any more friends.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

The first years were all lined up staring at the now-silent hat that just finished singing a ridiculous song about the qualities of the four houses and waited for Professor McGonagall to call out their names.

Odette Potter stood between Daphne and Tracey staring boredly at the hat and ignored her surroundings as the first years got sorted. Tracey was sorted into Slytherin and Daphne followed soon after. It was when Charlus' name was called out that whispering broke out around the hall as they fawned over their pathetic so-called savior. Odette wasn't the only one that rolled her eyes; she noticed that a professor garbed all in black with greasy black hair, sallow skin and a hooked nose, rolled his eyes and glared darkly at Charlus with intense hatred as he strutted arrogantly towards the hat with a smug smirk on his face.

It only took a few seconds for the brim of the hat to open wide and yell out, "GRYFFINDOR!" That statement was followed with a thunderous applause as the Gryffindor house exploded with cheers and Odette could have sworn she heard, "We've got Potter, we've got Potter."

Once however, McGonagall called out Odette's name, the hall was engulfed with a shocking silence, and as Odette separated herself from the mass of congregated first years, did the whispering begin.

"Another Potter?"

"I didn't know the Boy-Who-Lived had a sister."

Keeping her blank face in check, Odette confidently sat on the stool, noticing from the peripheral of her vision how absorbed Albus Dumbledore was as he leaned forward. Once the hat was placed on her head, she could see nothing but the black inside of the hat as a snide voice spoke in her head, "Odette Potter, well, well, well, oh my –"

"Wait!" Odette mentally hissed, shutting the hat up for a second, for Odette felt an intrusion and after a few seconds of silence where the hat obeyed her command, she felt the familiar magic of the daft codger and she inwardly smirked. It seems that Albus Dumbledore was using Legilimency to discover what the hat would say and manipulate it into sorting her into Gryffindor with her dull, idiotic twin.

Closing her eyes, she tapped into her mental shields and roughly pushed Dumbledore away, encompassing the hat and herself with a protective shield to bat away any other intrusions. "Okay, you can start now," Odette informed the hat.

"You are a smart one, very powerful. But you need not worry, the headmaster has gone down the path of darkness and I had no qualms of obeying his command."

"Let me guess, he wants you to sort me with my idiotic twin and become a helping hand and his lapdog," Odette snarked, eliciting chuckles from the hat, "Not easily manipulated I see. You are the prophecy child, but with your eidetic memory, you already knew that, hmm."

"Of course. This information stays between us, _am I correct_ , Hat?" Odette asked in a sugary sweet voice, laced with a barely-concealed threat. The hat chuckled once again, "Oh don't worry my child, your secret is safe. I will not side with the Headmaster against you, you already own half the school and in return my allegiance, Lady of Ravenclaw and Slytherin. I already know where to sort you. Let it be …"

"SLYTHERIN!"

The silence was so deafening, you could hear a galleon drop as Odette threw the hat to a shocked McGonagall and strode over to the Slytherin table with her head held high. That action caused mumblings to break out as everyone stared at the first Potter to ever be sorted into Slytherin and Odette smirked as she sat in front of Daphne and Tracey who were both staring at her with amusement.

McGonagall recovered from her shock and once the first years were all sorted and Dumbledore spoke utter nonsense, the feast began and Odette dug in heartily making sure to continue eating proteins and keep up with her nutritious and healthy diet – she was an assassin after all, and she needed to maintain her figure. Daphne and Tracey were the only ones in the Slytherin table treating her amiably, knowing already that she was a true snake after the scene they had witnessed earlier in the compartment. The others however, kept throwing her distrustful looks and malicious, judging sneers.

A first year girl made the mistake of approaching Odette with disrespect as she leaned forward and glared at her. "A Potter in Slytherin? You don't belong here with us, go sit somewhere else," she spoke in a disturbing nasal voice that bothered Odette greatly and everyone nearby stared in complete silence, curious to hear how the female Potter that they had just found out existed would respond.

Slowly, Odette placed down her cutlery and stared the girl with a deadly glare. Her eyes glowed brighter than the Killing Curse and she spoke in an icy tone that hid no malice, "Parkinson, am I right?"

The girl held her head proudly and nodded with a sneer, "Pansy Parkinson."

"I could tell with the family resemblance of a pug and no manners whatsoever befitting an heiress of a noble house," Odette sneered distastefully at her, causing Pansy to squawk with indignation, but before she could intervene, Odette continued, "You would do well not to test me, Parkinson. Do not dare to think that because I am a Potter I will be noble and treat you with kindness; honey, I will squash you like the cockroach you are," scoffing, Odette sneered down at her, "Salazar Slytherin would be rolling in his grave with filth like you sorted into his house."

Now, everyone was gaping at Odette in shock, and Pansy's face turned puce with rage, but once she met the eerie and harsh emerald eyes that promised pain, she snapped her mouth shut and buried her face in her food, inwardly promising retribution at a later time. Daphne and Tracey shared smug smirks; they hated Pansy Parkinson and anyone able to put her in her place were alright in their book.

Staring impassively at all the eavesdroppers surrounding her, Odette spoke in a steady yet scary voice, "Anyone else has a problem with my being sorted into Slytherin?" They all instantly shook their heads and snapped their attention away from her; she may be a first year and a Potter, but damn, Odette Potter was fucking scary.

"I know you," a drawl sounded a few seats from beside her, and Odette turned to face a first year with blonde hair gelled back, a pointed face and silver-grey eyes, "We met in the _Boy-Who-Lived's_ ," he sneered Charlus' titled with malice, "fourth birthday ball. I didn't know you were a Potter."

Odette knew that Draco was recalling the memory of when she helped him up after Charlus bullied him and knocked him to the ground, back then when she was still innocent and childish. Odette nodded, "Yeah, that's me."

Draco nodded politely and introduced himself, "I'm Draco Malfoy, and this is my cousin, Aaron Lestrange," Odette turned to the boy beside Draco; he had onyx black hair, prominent handsome features and sea-green eyes. He nodded at her, but didn't say a word and Odette gave them a stiff smile back and returned her attention back to her plate.

After the ball when James Potter yelled at her and beat her for fraternizing with the enemy, poor innocent Odette didn't understand, but now – now Odette knew perfectly well what James was referring to. The Malfoys and the Lestranges were Death Eaters and once Voldemort was defeated that Halloween night, they pleaded Imperius; obviously James Potter witnessed them as a threat to their darling, precious savior and Odette communicating with them was scandalous to the Light Family.

Once the feast was over and done with, Albus Dumbledore stood proudly and began his speech. Odette's eyebrows rose and she couldn't help but scoff when he informed them of not entering the third floor corridor unless they wanted to suffer a most painful death.

"Daft fool," Odette hissed, gaining an audience in Daphne, Tracey, Draco, Aaron and a couple of older students who stared at her with surprise etched on their features; no doubt wondering why someone from a light family hated the 'greatest wizard' and hero to the light. "Telling a bunch of curious students _not_ to go somewhere would only make them adamant in going there. He's doing it on purpose."

They all blanched in recognition, finding sense in her statement, but Odette paid them no heed, her emeralds narrowing at the old codger; _what was he up to?_ Her eyes instinctively located her twin and a cruel smirk appeared on her gorgeous face … _but of course._

The fifth year prefects lead the first years down to the dungeons where there was a portrait of Salazar Slytherin guarding the common room. Salazar Slytherin smiled at his first year snakes in welcome, enjoying the awe-struck looks he was gaining, but his forest green eyes focused on Odette once he spotted her, and a calculated look replaced his warm smile. Odette smirked at him, but no words were exchanged; he obviously sensed her to be his Heiress.

Once the password was uttered: Pureblood, how possibly perceptible of them with a lack of creativity and subtlety, the first years were asked to congregate on the cushiony sofas and await their head of house, Severus Snape to give them a welcoming speech.

Although their dorms were situated in the dungeons, Odette found it quire quaint. The furniture was all a beautiful matching green, silver and black, with woven rugs and snake wall hangings. Above the fireplace, the Slytherin crest stood proudly and the ambience was a reflected greenish-blue. Odette could tell that the Slytherin common room was beneath the Black Lake.

The portrait door swung open and Severus Snape stormed in, his black robe billowing around him as his stern features concentrated on each and every one of the nervous and excited first years. "I am your Head of House, Severus Snape and I teach potions here at Hogwarts. Prepare yourself, for now that you are sorted into Slytherin House, you shall be alienated by three-quarters of the school and they will all look at you as though you are all evil and dark wizards and witches. Ravenclaw may treat you cordially, but that is all," Snape began in a cold, drawling voice. His onyx eyes halted at Odette's impassive face for a moment before he drew in a breath and continued, "I advice you not to leave the common room on your own for there is always safety in numbers and the other houses would waste no time in hexing you and attacking you; by all means, retribution will be tolerated by me, as long as you are not caught," he smirked, drawing smiles from the first years.

"Since the rest of the school is against you, I will not berate you or dock points and give detention around them, but make no mistake, I will punish you later on in private. Slytherin remains a united front in public. Any silly feuds or arguments take place _behind_ closed doors. You'll have enough enemies outside the common room without arguing with your own as well." He then looked at the two fifth-year prefects, "Tomorrow, the prefects will lead you to the Great Hall so that you could learn the path and familiarize yourself and not get lost and if I am required, you need but ask them and they will direct you to my office. Remember my door is always open."

And with another piercing and contemplative look directed towards Odette, Snape swept out of the common room. The girl prefect, whose name was Amara Selwyn directed the six first year girls to their dormitory, "There are two rooms, now since there are six of you, three would each take a room."

Odette was joined by Daphne and Tracey who seemed to have taken a liking to the frigid girl. Once Odette had gotten dressed in her nightwear, Daphne and Tracey approached her.

"So, we were wondering … how about us three stick together?" Tracey asked chirpily eliciting a raised brow from Odette. Daphne rolled her eyes and said, "What Tracey meant, is that we have each other's back inside and outside the common room."

"Sure," Odette shrugged nonchalantly.

Little did Odette Potter know, but that was the beginning of a wonderful friendship.

 **A/N:** **How did you like this chapter? Odette sorted into Slytherin … who didn't see that coming?**

 **Just to inform you all, we are in Part 2 of The Forgotten Potter story depicting her Hogwarts years; Odette would still be making visits outside of Hogwarts, it won't just involve Hogwarts for those who were wondering AND I won't prolong every year, there will be some summarizing.**

 **Hope you enjoyed Part 2! R &R.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Chapter 19:**

"How on Earth do you remember the way to the Great Hall? It's like a labyrinth," Daphne wondered, staring at the girl sandwiched between them in thought. When Odette woke up that morning, it was to the sight of Daphne and Tracey giggling together in the dormitory, awaiting her. The redhead felt disturbed with the obvious show of camaraderie, only used to accepting Lexi, Lee and Bree and their abundant display of solidarity toward her, but she merely nodded in comprehension, bathed and quickly donned on her robes.

Odette shrugged, "I was paying attention last night, Daphne." The redhead couldn't exactly inform the blonde and brunette that she was a dangerous assassin trained to memorize her surroundings ever since the age of five. Feasibly, Odette could've merely told them about her eidetic memory, but where was the fun in that?

"Odette is like a GPS tracking device," Tracey giggled, prompting a fond eye roll from the blonde and a raised eyebrow from the redhead. Tracey smiled in comprehension at Odette and clarified, "My mother is a Muggle. Although my dad is a Pureblood from the Noble and Ancient House of Davis and was neutral in the war, the snooty bigoted Purebloods grudgingly accepted my mother into their social circle because she's the daughter of Charles Tripp."

The assassin merely nodded her impassive mask deftly in check, but inwardly her mind was whirring with activity; Charles Tripp was an American billionaire. The Tripps practically owned the Hamptons. Although the hypocrisy was glaringly obvious toward the prejudiced Purebloods, the assassin understood the meaning of power and riches, no matter what bloodline one came from.

"Well, I don't really care about the whole ideal of blood bigotry rubbish. The British Community would do well not to underestimate muggles and what they are capable of," was all Odette said as the three Slytherins entered the Great Hall and took their respective seats aligned next to each other. Daphne and Tracey didn't have the opportunity to question Odette on her matter-of-fact statement, but while they ate their meal in peace, each girl pondered the possibilities of her words.

Halfway through breakfast, the mail arrived and the Great Hall was swarming with owls and activity, however the assassin felt many pairs of eyes concentrated on her person, hearing cooing and hushed whispers; looking up, she smirked at the sight of Divus preening herself with her head held high, enjoying being the center of attention after eons of hiding.

"Your owl is gorgeous! Where did you get her from?" Tracey cooed, staring at Divus in awe. Divus clicked her beak and rubbed her head against Tracey's hand before perching onto Odette's shoulder. "She found me. Apparently she's my familiar," Odette informed her casually.

 _My Queen, I have sensed James and Lily Potter in the Headmaster's office. They are to call on you about your sorting_ , Divus' musical voice brushed past her Occlumency shield. The words had barely settled in to be processed before Professor Snape marched over to her, "Potter. Headmaster Dumbledore wishes to see you in his office."

Sighing, Odette got up onto her feet with Divus, who vehemently refused to leave her Queen's side, and followed Professor Snape, his cloak billowing behind him, over to the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office. Her head of house left her after murmuring the password and once she entered the office, she was welcomed to the sight of James Potter pacing in lengthy strides and yelling like a lunatic, Lily Potter standing gravely by Dumbledore's side.

"You called, Headmaster," Odette drawled, halting James' frantic pacing.

Dumbledore flashed an insincere smile, "Ah, Odette-"

"I don't recall giving you permission to use my chosen name, _Headmaster_ ," Odette glared at him, interjecting his next words. Lily walked over to her, fury shining in her nearly identical eyes, "Albus is a friend of the family, and he will call you whatever he pleases, Odette!"

Rolling her eyes, Odette sauntered confidently over to the armchair, ignoring her _father_ as she bypassed him and interlaced her fingers together, "But it is not _your_ name to give, Lily." Silent was the recipient of her biting words and Lily trembled, either in rage or sorrow, at Odette's usage of her name instead of mother.

"Odette, Albus has allowed you permission to get resorted into Gryffindor," James told her, wanting to get the reason for their visit over and done with as soon as possible.

"That's _marvelous_. But there is one problem … I _don't want_ to be resorted. I am happy where I am," she answered dryly, her eyes locked onto her fingernails, barely sparing them any eye contact.

"Odette Arielle Potter! When I tell you to do something, you do it!" James snarled, consumed by rage, "There has never been a Potter sorted into Slytherin, and I won't allow you to tarnish the Potter name!"

Eyebrows raised, Odette stared at James with ill-concealed fury, "The choice is not up to you, _father_ ," she spat, "I am a Slytherin, and I will _not_ be resorted."

"Then you are not my daughter," James spat out, the words rushing out without a thought. But if the Potters or Dumbledore where expecting tears and sorrows, or Odette begging them for forgiveness, they were sadly mistaken. To the three occupants stunned shock, Odette Potter burst out into cruel , malicious laughter filled with mirth and scorn.

"Believe me James Potter, I haven't been your daughter for years. Your words merely proved my point." Odette gracefully stood up, staring at them all with utter boredom, "If you don't mind, I actually have classes to get to-"she was interrupted by Fawkes who flew over from his perch and onto Odette's free shoulder, garnering baffled looks from James and Lily and a creepy smile from Dumbledore.

 _My Queen, I go by the name of Fawkes. I must warn you, Albus Dumbledore is conspiring against you. I am here to warn you; although I am his familiar, the wizard has changed drastically. Darkness, evil and power has subjugated his mind._

Odette gently stroked Fawkes' red and gold plumage, smiling down at him; _do you accept spying on him on my account and regaling anything of importance?_

 _Yes, my Queen_ , Fawkes answered without a doubt, pecking her ear lightly and returning over to her perch behind the Headmaster's desk. Dumbledore threatened to explode with delight; Fawkes had obviously taken a shining toward the unknown Potter daughter, indicating that she was light.

Clearing his throat, Dumbledore chanced a glance at the two bewildered Potters, "James, Lily, I see no reason to ail over Od-, uhm, Miss Potter's sorting into Slytherin. Ambition is a wondrous aspect in one's personality, there will be no need to fret over her."

Odette inwardly scoffed, if the old coot believed sucking up to her would miraculously morph her into a mindless minion of his, then he was utterly wasting his time. But Odette Potter wasn't the most manipulative, dangerous and dexterous assassin who surpassed the Red Room for nothing … no, she was Shadow Swan, and she would immensely enjoy manipulating the Headmaster's machinations.

"Oh, Albus, look out for her. We don't want our daughter turning dark," Lily beseeched him, ignoring her daughter's presence completely, unlike James whose hazel eyes were attached to her person almost as though he were scrutinizing her, like she was an enigma.

"Nice chatting with you, we should definitely _not_ do it again," Odette smiled saccharinely as the elder Potters disappeared from the fireplace. Left alone with the old codger, the redhead turned around to leave when he called her back, adopting her over-usage grandfatherly persona, "Do have a seat, Miss Potter. Lemon drop?" Odette glanced at the offered bowl with mistrust and revulsion, especially when her Ladyship rings began buzzing frantically with activity in warning.

"Don't mind if I do," Odette plucked out two, and vanished the lemon drop before entering her mouth, feigning delight, "Tasty. You don't mind if I leave the other for later, do you?" she asked innocently, noticing the triumphant gleam that passed over the codger's twinkling blue eyes.

"Not at all, not at all," Dumbledore beamed, nodding his head jovially. Odette plastered a fake smile, "Well, Headmaster, I have class to get to, excuse me."

 _Well done, my Queen. The old manipulator definitely laced those sweets_ ," Divus communicated with her as Odette approached Transfiguration class.

 _I thought as much, Divus. I will dissect the sweet and find out what potions were concocted_.

The old codger's first mistake was plotting against Shadow Swan, and Odette promised herself that by the end of the year, the daft fool will be out of a job and hopefully … dead.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

"Grænn gimsteinn minn," the familiar husky soprano voice called out, and Odette turned, smiling at Loki before running into his arms. "You haven't visited in a while, Odette."

"Sorry, Loki. I've been busy with my preparations in attending Hogwarts," Odette smiled; ever since reconnecting with Loki after running into him and Thor in New York, their relationship had been frigid and awkward at best, but overtime they reestablished their previous familiarity and Odette was learning to trust him and treat him like she did Lexi, Lee and Bree.

"I've managed to watch over you, sneaking a peak at times, but tell me, how do you like your classes?" Loki smirked as they both made themselves comfortable in the courtyard where they could observe Thor, Fandral, Hogan, Volstagg and Sif spar at sword point.

Odette scoffed her visage one of utter boredom, "I have already excelled in all magical studies, Loki. The Professors and my classmates are shocked with my deftness in magic. But you know I am not attending Hogwarts due to me being studious. I plan to build a base in the magical world, and begin my plot for revenge against those that had wronged me."

"Yes, yes, however can I forget," Loki said cheekily. Standing up, he brushed his trousers and helped her stand, "Come along, Grænn gimsteinn minn, we must proceed with our lessons. I am of opinion that you will deeply enjoy what I am to teach you today."

And enjoy she did; Loki decided that Odette had surpassed all expectations on trivial and basic spells and began introducing darker ones. Today, Odette was learning how to inflict images of torturous means and the redhead was glad to say that it was very challenging.

"Again. Odette you _must_ concentrate. Keep your eyes open, hold eye contact with my own and be creative; imagine how you'd torture me and project them into my mind.

Gritting her teeth, Odette concentrated on Loki's words, imagining him burning to death, his skin charring as the flames licked his skin, one of the lesser and unimaginative means of torture in the assassin's large repertoire and finally, she smiled in success when Loki's forest eyes widened, sweat poured down his forehead and fear flashed in his eyes as he trembled in illusionary pain.

"Very, very good, Grænn gimsteinn minn. You have surpassed my expectations. I was under the impression that you would have to return at least twice more before succeeding," Loki smiled, pride emanating from him as he placed a fondly chaste kiss onto her forehead.

"You are just an excellent teacher, but don't let that get into your head. You're already arrogant enough as it is," Odette smirked, accepting the offered orange juice as stimulation. "Thank you. Although I do relish in physically torturing my opponents, I am not against subtle torture."

Loki rolled his eyes upon seeing the sinister visage of his Grænn gimsteinn **.**

"I have a gift for you, Grænn gimsteinn minn," Loki grinned, snapping his fingers twice. Odette gasped in a mixture of awe and shock upon noting the gorgeous snake that lay between them. "Lok-Loki? Is that a Taipan?"

"Why of course. I'd only get the best for Grænn gimsteinn minn. The Taipan is also known as the _Fierce_ Snake, and has the deadliest venom known in the universe. Fierce and deadly, depicting you, my gem," Loki had a Cheshire smile on his face, one that usually referred to pain and the redhead couldn't help but squeal, a sound emitted that was very unlike the cold-hearted assassin.

 _Are you my mistress?_ The Taipan snake slithered over to Odette who nodded energetically and responded in parseltongue, _yes, what is your name?_

 _I don't have one yet, Mistress. Maybe you can give me one._ Odette began tapping her index finger against her lips before an idea struck her, _how about, Shiva? It was said in Indian Myth that Shiva had a cobra coiled on his head…_

The Taipan snake started dancing… dancing without legs if what Odette depicted correctly; the Taipan Snake began slithering in circles in excitement, _yes, yes, Shiva. I approve, I like it. My name is Shiva._

"Loki, thank you so much! I love my gift," Odette smiled, rare emotions always presented itself whenever she was around the Asgardian Prince and she had long ago decided not to fight them.

Loki embraced her in an affectionate hug, "Of course. Besides, now you can practice Parselmagic much easier now." His head cocked to the side, and a mischievous grin appeared on his face as he clicked his finger, "You are about to receive a wonderful wakeup call my dear, right, about … now-"

"AAAAAHH! Daph! DAPH! AHHHHH!"

Odette shot up from her bed, wand already in hand and her other hand reaching down to her ankle incase her throwing knife was needed, "The hell, Tracey? What's wrong with you?" At that moment, Daphne ran out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head, having dashed out of the shower when she heard Tracey's frightened screams.

Tracey's vocal cord wasn't functioning properly, and so, the terrified brunette let out a whimper from where she stood on her bed, and her index finger shakily pointed onto the small beige Taipan Snake that was curled onto Odette's bed, amusement in his eyes as he observed the frightened brunette.

Oh, Loki. That God really enjoyed mischief and pranks, and poor Tracey ended up being the victim.

"You're a Slytherin and you're scared of snakes?" Odette snorted, "Ah, the irony." She turned her back on them and stretched out her right arm, allowing Shiva to coil snuggly around it, eliciting a squeak from Tracey and a choking sound from Daphne. "Daphne, Tracey, this is Shiva, my familiar."

"You're familiar? What about Divus?" Daphne asked cynically, helping the shaking Tracey off her bed. Odette smirked, "Well, Shiva will be invisible so you two are the only ones that know about him." After ten painstaking minutes where Odette forced patience, Daphne and Tracey ceased all fear of Shiva and began petting him slowly, identical smiles flittering on their faces.

As the three Slytherins made their way to the first potion class with the Gryffindors, Odette charmed Shiva to remain invisible to all but Daphne and Tracey using an Old Norse spell that Loki taught her.

Snape started his lesson with an intimidating, yet rehearsed speech about bottling fame, brewing glory and putting a stopper to death before bulldozing Charlus with questions, taking delight when the idiot knew none of the answers.

"Hmm, clearly fame isn't everything," Snape drawled, prompting Charlus' face to redden with anger and the Slytherins to all snicker behind their hands.

"Nobody would know the answers! Except for Granger, but she's a bookworm," Charlus shouted before smirking smugly, "You're just a greasy bat out to get me!" The whole class gasped, some staring at the 'Boy-Who-Lived' in awe and fandom, while the Slytherins glared at him for insulting their Head of House.

Snape's lips curled in contempt as he stalked toward Charlus, looming over him with rage, "Detention, and fifty points from Gryffindor! You are just as arrogant as your father, and I will not allow disrespect in my class. Miss Potter," Snape whipped around to face the emotionless redhead, "The same questions. Answer them!"

Charlus and Ron snorted audibly, confident that the _Squib_ wouldn't know the answers. But Odette flashed them a smirk and in a bored drawl, replied, "Asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful known as the Draught of Living Dead. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and will save one from most poisons," except Shiva, she added internally, "Monkshood and Wolfsbane are the same plant which also goes by the same name of aconite. Really Professor, are those the best questions you got?" she challenged him with a smirk, taking great delight in the stupefied and flabbergasted expressions on everyone's face.

Snape strolled toward her, a menacing look on his visage from beneath his hooked nose, "Very well. What ingredients are used in making Felix Felicis?" the Slytherins and some Gryffindors who knew the complex potion gasped and Hermione Granger scowled in confusion, angry at herself for not knowing the answer.

"Ashwinder egg, horseradish, juice of a squil bulb, chopped up anemone-like growth on the back of Murtlap, dash of tincture of thyme, Occamy eggshell, sprinkle of powdered common rue; in chronological order, Professor Snape," Odette retorted in utmost boredom. Every occupant in the classroom could be seen gaping at her in bafflement; the redhead didn't even pause for a deep breath or a moment to ponder the answer.

Snape hid his enthralling awe behind his Occlumency shield and shot out another question, "Recite Golpalott's Third Law."

The redhead lifted an amused eyebrow, and calmly countered back, "The antidote for a blended poison will be equal to more than the sum of the antidotes for each of the separate components."

An impressed hush engulfed the classroom; Charlus gaped at her in utmost confusion; Daphne and Tracey beamed at her in pride; Draco and Aaron had a thoughtful yet impressed expression on their visage. Snape however, had a curl upon his lips that could _almost_ be mistaken as a smile.

"Forty points to Slytherin, Miss Potter," was all the professor could say before he snapped at the class to begin their potion.

"Odette, you coming?" Tracey chirped on her way out with Daphne.

"I'll meet you in the Great Hall," Odette absently replied.

Once the door closed behind them, the redhead ambled over to her Head of House whose eyes never wavered from hers, "Professor Snape, I understand you hold a deep … let's say _animosity_ with James Potter, therefore transferring that hate toward Charlus. However, I am not either of them, and I would prefer we start anew. Your insistence on treating me with such unwarranted hatred is really not the best course of action for you. I will not accept continual attacks on my person such as yourself and it is beneficial if we built an amiable or at least courteous relationship since you are to be my Head of House and Potions Professor for the next seven years."

Snape's eyes flickered slightly, and respect shone clearly in those blank onyx orbs, "James Potter? You do not call him father. Why?"

Sitting down on the chair opposite to him, Odette decided not to pour all her oranges in one basket, but to give him the benefit of the doubt since they both shared mutual loathing toward the Potters. "I have an eidetic memory, and every memory I have of my, for lack of a better word, _parents_ are of them ignoring me, berating me and favoring that fool of a twin over me. That Halloween night, Albus bloody Dumbledore decided to check my magical signature. Due to the backlash of Voldemort's attack, he spotted no magic within me and hailed me a Squib," no need to inform him of her having the ability to hide her magic from the old codger – yet, "Ever since then, James and Lily ignored my existence. I have never been showered with love or affection, at least until my Hogwarts letter arrived. So no, Professor Snape, those people are no family of mine. I spent years with my faithful house-elf and caretaker, as my only companion, who helped me learn magic in the solitude confines of the Potter Library. I hope we can be amiable toward each other."

Sighing deeply, Snape glanced at the beautiful redhead in regret and sorrow, "I apologize. I judged rashly. But you are a student of my house, and I will always protect you and … change my attitude. I accept your proposal."

"Thank you, Professor. Also, please do not share what I have relayed to you with the Headmaster. I don't trust him."

That night, in the confined solitude of his room, Severus pondered the strange Potter girl who had been sorted into his house; he of course always knew of the female twin's existence due to the prophecy he had overhead that fateful night, and often found it odd that she had disappeared for a decade. The collaboration of Odette confiding in him explained everything crystal clear …

His alliance with his old friend, Lily, halted completely after he regrettably called her a Mudblood during their fifth year, and although he joined the Light Side as a spy, she still cut all ties with him, growing cold and more distant during the decade after the Dark Lord's defeat by Charlus Potter. He could not imagine the woman Odette spoke of to be his Lily, the girl who held so much compassion and tender toward others, the girl who fought for the rights of Muggleborns, Squibs and Half-Breeds; to alienate her daughter, her own flesh and blood due to her being a Squib was unimaginable and for the first time, Severus was disgusted with the redhead.

But Odette Potter ailed him … he was disturbed by how detached the eleven-year-old seemed to be with her surroundings. Her emerald gems remained cold and uncaring, her pale face smooth, emotionless and impassive, and her lips would always be curled sinisterly. The Potters did a number on the girl and the spy knew a deftly placed mask when he saw one. There was more to Odette Potter that meets the eyes and the spy was adamant in finding out her secrets.

The girl was a member of his house, and he protected his snakes fiercely no matter how cold and aloof the masses though him to be. But deep inside, Severus knew the girl to be powerful, especially when he tried Legilimency on her at the beginning of the lesson, only to be blocked deftly by the smugly smirking redhead.

Yes, Odette Potter had many secrets, and the Potions Master knew that it was best NOT to get on her bad side.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

Two weeks had passed, and Odette continued to excel in all her classes, vastly shocking those who previously thought her to be a Squib. The redhead found acquaintances in her roommates, Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis, but other than that, the redhead didn't allow them to morph into friends.

Odette kept her distance from the other Slytherins and only spoke with Daphne, Tracey, Divus and Shiva, not bothered in building friendships with others. She had visited Lexi and Lee during the first weekend and received a huge lecture and tongue-thrashing from the blonde vampire who kept on insisting the cold assassin to make friends, but to no avail.

She was like a sink, all Lexi's lectures and insistence leaking down the drain. The redhead was unlike all girls her age, she didn't put too many thoughts in friendship and all those wishy-washy emotions. Acquaintances were all she needed in life, and wasn't interested in being held back by caring too much for the outcome of others. The Red Room taught her as much; her first friend and older sister, Zelda never strayed from her thoughts, and it was safer not to get close with people for they were all frail and easily perishable.

The loss of Zelda never wavered, and at times, Odette would glance curiously at Daphne and Tracey, a fond smile on her face; those two reminded her dearly of the only friendship she formed in the Red Room, and sometimes, the redhead wished to get closer with her roommates, but her greatest enemy was herself, and she always managed to cease such wishful thinking, creating an even larger distance between them. Unfortunately, the blonde and brunette were adamant in befriending her and the redhead didn't know how much longer she could hold out.

At the moment, the Slytherins and Gryffindors were lined up in the Quidditch pitch for their first flying lesson with Madam Hooch. The lesson was going well, except for Neville who was unfortunate enough to break his wrist when he fell down from his broom and then sent off with Granger to the hospital wing.

That was until screams emanated from around her, and the redhead whipped her head in time to see Charlus knock Draco Malfoy quite viciously off his broom, a victorious sneer evident of her twin's face. The daft flying instructor wasn't paying attention as she was distracted by the bumbling fashionistas of Gryffindor, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil.

The Slytherins all ran toward the broken and bleeding form of the blonde, congregated around him with fearful and horrific looks on their visage while some tried gaining the attention of Hooch.

"Out of my way! _Move it_!" Odette snarled abruptly, kneeling beside Draco's fallen and pitiable form. The assassin was obviously not disturbed by the crimson blood oozing from the pale face and smeared around the silver-blonde hair; in her line of profession, she was used to gore having been the cause of most of them. The young redhead did not know why she was adamant in saving the boy she barely traded a few words with.

Maybe it was because the Potters had a huge enmity with the Malfoys. Maybe it was because she knew Charlus would be outraged with her saving the Malfoy Scion. Maybe it was because of such foolish house loyalty. Maybe because Odette wanted a powerful and influential family owing her a life debt.

 _Or maybe, my Queen,_ she heard Divus speak through their familiar connection, _maybe because you remember this boy when he was the age of four being bullied by your violent twin and don't want to see him die._

Such foolish sentiment, she inwardly spat to herself. But nevertheless, she wandlessly cast a silencing charm around her and began hissing with Shiva; it was time to use her gift of parselmagic for the very first time and put it to good use.

 _Diagnose_ , she hissed with the aid of Shiva; her eyes were as round as galleons when she received the results. Draco was dying; in fact the only reason he still managed a few lungful of breaths was due to the potent magic running through his veins, vehemently fighting to save his life. His skull was crushed, and if he were a muggle, then the Malfoy Scion would have been dead upon impact.

Cautiously, she seeped some of her own magic onto Shiva, transferring it toward Draco and hissed, _restructure of temporal lobe_. The sound of his skull realigning could be heard only by her, and if it were anyone else, they would have shied away, recoiling in disgust from such a gruesome noise.

Odette noted from the peripheral of her vision that Madam Hooch was dashing toward them and she removed the silencing charm; her faith was restored and she knew that Draco was far away from death's arms now and would be in great hands under the administration of Poppy Pomfrey.

And that was how Odette found herself sitting by Draco's bedside listening to the Malfoys, the Potters and Headmaster Dumbledore arguing a few feet away in the Hospital Wing. Of course, the old codger dismissed any form of punishment for the Boy-Who-Lived nearly murdering the Scion of an ancient house, stating that it was a mere innocent accident.

"I promise you Potter, your son will pay for what he did to my son. Dumbledore cannot protect you outside the castle walls," Mr. Malfoy hissed threateningly. Mrs. Malfoy ambled over to Draco's side, affectionately stroking his pale face with tears in her eyes and Odette felt a pang of jealousy – this was how a mother should treat their children; an emotion the redhead was never lucky enough to receive.

She was shaken from those rare morose thoughts by Dumbledore, "My chi-, Miss Potter," he corrected upon viewing the warning glare she sent him, "How did you succeed in saving Mr. Malfoy's life?"

James, Lily, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, Professors Snape and Minerva and Poppy Pomfrey all stared at her curiously, a thousand questions flittering in their eyes. Rolling her eyes, Odette focused on the old codger with a challenging stare, "I _read_ , Headmaster. There are many books on healing in the libraries you know. Any other ridiculous questions you wish to ask?"

"Odette! Show some respect," James shouted staring at her in disapproval.

Scoffing, the redhead drawled, "Respect is earned, James. I see none here that managed such a feat."

Without a word, the scandalized and furious Potters marched out of the hospital wing with McGonagall and Dumbledore following close behind, leaving the Malfoys and Snape alone. Odette shot up to her feet and went to depart, leaving the Malfoys privacy with their son, when Mr. Malfoy whispered her name, halting her footsteps.

"You're the-, _Odette_ , you're the girl from Potter's Birthday Ball at the Ministry seven years ago. You're Charlus' twin," and although it was a statement, a hint of a question was there.

Turning around, the redhead smirked, "Very astute, Mr. Malfoy. You have a sharp memory."

"Yes, well," Mr. Malfoy tried collecting his bearings as he gave her a piercing yet confused look, "You seem to be making it a habit of protecting my son from the Boy-Who-Lived."

"But, the Ball… if you're his twin, why was there no mention of you whatsoever?" Mrs. Malfoy asked, and only the detected sincerity had Odette answer her, "As you can see, no one is more important to the Potters than their precious savior. I was thought to be a Squib until receiving my Hogwarts letter."

"Thank you, for saving my son," Mrs. Malfoy whispered, her cerulean eyes shining with tears and gratitude.

"Yes," Mr. Malfoy awkwardly cleared his throat, "The House of Malfoy owes you a life debt."

For the life of her, the assassin didn't know _why_ , but she found herself blurting out, "I don't want it," achieving in earning herself three bewildered and gaping stares from the Malfoys and Snape. "I know it could be implied a terrible faux-pas to purebloods and their customs, but I don't want a life debt from you."

Damn you Lexi Branson and that damn compassion you seemed to have grilled into my conscience, Odette inwardly snarled.

The surprises kept on coming as Mrs. Malfoy ran over to her and gathered her into a motherly hug, an action she had never been on the receiving end of causing her to stiffen in confusion. Never before had the redhead been given a hug by a mother, it was _alien_ to her. Loki, Lexi and Bree often at times hugged her, but it was more of a friendly embrace. Zelda hugged her before, but that was before all her ideologies changed due to the Red Room and the multitude of torture sessions by the Petrovich brothers.

"Thank you, dear," Mrs. Malfoy sobbed.

Hesitantly, Odette patted the matriarch on her back, shifting uncomfortably and breathing a sigh of relief once she was released and allowed her personal space, "It was nothing, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Oh, none of that Mrs. Malfoy from you, dear. Call me Cissa," Narcissa beamed tearfully.

Mr. Malfoy approached her hesitantly; the sharp eyes of Lord Malfoy did not fail in noticing how the redhead flinched upon receiving affection and physical contact, and after recalling James Potter's treatment of her at the ball seven years ago, he grimaced at the implication, "And I give you permission to call me Lucius. You may reject the life debt, but we will never forget that you saved out son, and for that, you have our deepest gratitude and we shall forever be in your debt."

 **A/N:** **Done!**

 **Grænn gimsteinn minn: My green gem.**

 **Saving Draco Malfoy's life was a very important factor to my story, especially with the new alliance that shall form between Odette and the Malfoys. Relationships will be changing now …**

 **Yes, Odette is still an assassin and cold-blooded killer who hates showing emotions, but we are about to see her opening up to a selective few … I mean, come on, Odette was bound to make FRIENDS and not acquaintances other than vampires. Just because she doesn't show emotions and can be cold, it doesn't mean Odette will be friendless forever.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter … next, we will see Odette building strong bonds with a few people ;)**

 **R &R. **


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Chapter 20:**

A small figure roamed deftly in the shadows, listening to the vile conversation taking place, the crooning voice eliciting shivers of disgust to trickle down her spine.

"Jackson! Place the sweet torte back where she belongs," the crooning voice articulated with gleeful malice. Emerald green eyes glowed with hatred, resembling the lethal Avada Kedavra curse when she heard the pained whimper of a young girl being dragged roughly across the floor. A moment later, a metallic clang shut and the sound of bolts locked tight reverberated around her.

Peeking slightly from her hidey-hole under the shadows, Shadow Swan glared at the leader of the Infinity Gang, William Sunders. His hair was styled in a buzz cut, and his eyes were an onyx black filled with contempt and repugnance when they weren't covered behind shades, he was dressed smartly but still managed to array a shabby disposition with his grubby hands and yellowing, crooked teeth. As leader of the Infinity Gang in Britain, Sunders so happened to not only be a con man, but a lewd one too, with an immoral interest in pedophilia.

Shadow Swan became notorious not only among the citizens of New York, but in the United Kingdom too, as of two years ago, and usually, the emotionless assassin got contract deals in killing enemies and the such. It was a rare moment when Shadow Swan was asked to rescue a person from evil's clutches, but when it came to a young child from nefarious pedophiles, the rule book got thrown out of the window.

William Sunders made a wholly mistake when he decided to lead his gang with nefarious purposes in regards to children, because then, the Infinity Gang would have been free from the deft assassin's radar … not anymore. Capturing Leah Hart, an innocent nine year old girl, with the motive of being trained for prostitution vindicated the contagion effect of rendering the Infinity Gang's extinction.

A sardonically sinister grin appeared on Shadow Swan's lips as she emerged from the shadows; the Infinity Gang would die with the mortification of being murdered by a child, and for that reason, the young assassin didn't tap into her metamorphmagus ability. Let those bastards rot in hell under the hands of an eleven year old girl.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Shadow Swan serenaded in a spooky sing-song voice. Immediately, William and two of his goons whipped around, guns cocked and blazing toward her. Shadow Swan pouted, eyes widening in an adorable puppy-dog fashion, and involuntarily, the two goons dropped their guns, cooing at the adorable picture she presented.

"First mistake," Shadow Swan taunted. Quick as a flash, she grabbed two of her throwing daggers from her back pocket and threw them, angled at the idiotic bozos. Before they could even blink, the two daggers were embedded deep into their forehead and they dropped in unison onto the floor – dead.

William gaped, but wasted no time in firing his gun, all five bullets straight at her line of vision. Shadow Swan shadow travelled in record time and appeared behind the leader, striking him hard on his spinal cord with her elbow, causing him to collapse onto his knees, the empty gun flying a few meters away.

Thank god for the serum and its super strength.

"Accio," Shadow Swan drawled lackadaisically and the abandoned gun zoomed into her hand.

Grunting, William tried rising from the ground, but Shadow Swan flipped him around and stomped her foot onto his groin, his agonizing yell echoing around the room. Shadow Swan tsked loudly and mockingly, "This won't do. Dear Jackson would be arriving soon because of your incapability of handling pain."

"Who the hell are you, you little bitch? _Do you know who I am_?" William growled, his eyes watering with tears of pain.

Shadow Swan tilted her head to the side, and if she hadn't just murdered two highly trained gang members and unarmed a deft leader, all in the blink of an eye, one would call her adorable. "William Sunders, leader of the Infinity Gang for ten years running. Of course I know who you are," she replied with a sadistic grin.

"Then you should know, you just signed your death sentence, bitch!" William spat before groaning as Shadow Swan dug her foot harder into his groin.

A derisive laugh filled the air, unsuitable for a child of her caliber in William's eyes and his hair stuck up on end. Leaning forward so that she could be at same eye level as the disgusting scum, Shadow Swan's face twisted into a malevolent sneer. "Oh contrary, Sunders. _Your_ mistake, was not knowing who _I_ am. But of course, where are my manners," she said in an innocent histrionic manner, "I'm Shadow Swan."

William's eyes widened, cognizant fear the main emotion on his visage, and his lips began quivering as he was rendered speechless by her admission. Every crook, criminal, murderer and con artist knew that if they valued their lives, they were to stay out of the mysterious Shadow Swan's radar, and they knew that pedophilia made her tick most of all. But discovering the notorious Shadow Swan that made the most fearsome and ruthless criminals quake was a mere child, wounded his ego.

"Ah, good. You've heard of me. _Puuurr-fect_ ," Shadow Swan purred gleefully, "This will be _much_ more fun then." Without releasing him from her hold and with impressive instinctual reflexes, Shadow Swan tugged one of her throwing knives from one of the goon's forehead with relaxed ease and hurled it toward the doorway without losing eye contact from the frightened onyx orbs. William heard a pained grunt and a loud thud as though a heavy object impacted with the ground.

A sarcastic tsk escaped Shadow Swan's lips, "Poor Jackson. The fool thought he could sneak up on me. Don't look so hopeful, Sunders," she suddenly said, her voice taking a gloating tone. "I _always_ do my homework before assassinating scum like you from the earth. I stalked every member of your gang before I entered your disgusting lair. No one's coming," she sang tauntingly, "It's just _you_ and _me_."

Desperate, William began babbling in a self-righteous tone, "I didn't do anything to you, you little bitch! What the fuck is your problem?!"

"The minute your _Gang_ ," she sneered in distaste, "Began targeting and kidnapping young girls for prosecution, it _became_ my problem."

"An assassin with a conscience, how sweet," William spat in retort, yet disbelief shone through.

"No, no, no, not a conscience. You see, make no mistake, I am ruthless, and I kill without a care, but I draw the line when it comes to rape and pedophilia! The second you changed your Gang's outlook, you brought extinction amongst yourselves!"

Withdrawing her .45 Colt and twirling it around casually in her hand, she smirked, "A pity I have a feast to get to, otherwise we would have had _sooo_ much fun. But, oh well," she shrugged and released her foot from his crotch. Leveling the gun onto his forehead, she ignored his useless pleas and said, "Happy Halloween, motherfucker," before firing, eliciting a loud bang and chunks to splatter like rain.

Staring at all the brain matter pooling onto the floor by her feet, she smirked savagely, carved her name on all the victims and walked down to the cellar without remorse or a second glance.

She had a young girl to reunite with her family and a hearty cheque to receive.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

"Odette where have you been all day? We looked _everywhere_ for you after Daphne and Tracey said you weren't in your room," Draco hissed, brows furrowed in consternation.

Smirking in amusement, Odette plopped down on the empty spot saved for her between Daphne and Tracey at the Slytherin table and cooed, "Awhh, Drakey, were you worried about lil' ol' me?"

Aaron Lestrange, Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini burst out into uproarious laughter and began clutching their sides as Draco's pale face tinged with red in mortification and he began spluttering indignantly, "N-No, of course not, Potter. Merely curious."

"Hmm, I'm sure," Odette retorted in mocking disbelief.

It had been a little over a month since Odette saved Draco from death at a broomstick, code name for the Boy-Who-Lived's murder attempt, and oddly enough, the young assassin found herself building allies, code name for friend, but she was in denial, stubbornly denying the fact that not only did she make friends in Hogwarts, but that she was _actually_ growing fond of them.

Daphne and Tracey already had the upper hand since they were her roommates, and they were stubborn, never giving up in getting closer with the impassive redhead. Inwardly, Odette admitted to herself that in the past month, they were evolving from acquaintances to allies, A.K.A, friends. After rescuing Draco Malfoy and rejecting the Life-Debt owed, he began partnering with her in a few classes and sitting nearby in the common room, and in extension, his cousin, Aaron Lestrange who was majorly grateful that she saved his cousin slash best friend's life. The two boys began building a budding friendship with her at a steady yet slow pace and by the end of October; they were firmly under the 'friend' category.

Blaise Zabini turned out to be cousins of sort with both Draco and Aaron. His aunt married Aaron's uncle, Rabastan Lestrange, and by extension, was Draco's cousin, too. Theodore Nott was family friends with the Davis and Malfoy family, and so, he spent most of his time with Draco, Daphne and Tracey.

The whole cluster fuck brought the seven Slytherin first years together, and so, it wasn't odd to find Odette Potter, Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davis, Draco Malfoy, Aaron Lestrange, Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott congregated around each other and spending most of their free time together.

After a dozen lectures and tongue-lashing by Lexi, Lee and Bree, Odette grudgingly agreed to give the six Slytherins a chance. Her argument of them being her weakness and discovering her secrets was refuted by the angry blonde vampire, and she was forced to open up a smidge, lest she faced the bubbly blonde's ire. Shadow Swan, dangerous, ruthless assassin extraordinaire she may be, but the female Potter respected and somewhat feared Lexi when she was on a furious tirade.

Secretly, Odette was immensely fond of the six Slytherins. Daphne with her sharp wit, unfathomable loyalty and sarcastic remarks, along with her icy demeanor endeared her to Odette; Tracey with her bubbly visage and foolish trusting capabilities reminded the redhead of Lexi, appealing to her conscious and making her want to protect the brunette from any harm; Draco was a complicated matter in its element, ever since she protected him at the age of four from her bullying brother, Odette had felt an uncanny siblinghood relation of sorts with him, and by extension, Aaron; both boys, although they may be proud and to a certain degree, arrogant, were kind, loyal and funny, despite their dark background and the rumors surrounding them; Theodore- 'call me Theo' was a shy boy who could mostly be found either in the library or the common room with his face buried in a book, his shy disposition and incapability to defend himself along with his loyalty to Tracey and Daphne around bigoted bullies appealed to the impassive redhead and she enjoyed their spontaneous battles of intellect vastly; and last, but not least, Blaise Zabini the Slytherin of Italian descent, for a first year, he was quite the Casanova with the mindless twits of Hogwarts, but his sarcasm and funny quips, along with his nonchalance demeanor and rivaling cunning had the redhead greatly enjoying his presence.

Grudgingly, Odette Potter knew in her heart, that no matter how hard she denied it, and even if she were to keep her distance from them, those six Slytherins were her friends and had easily wormed their way into her heart, and she would, _unfortunately_ , do all she could to the best of her abilities in protecting them from danger.

And it all began with the catalyst: Saving Draco's life.

"Okay, you disappeared after lessons, bottom point, is everything okay?" Tracey asked hesitantly.

"Peachy keen," Odette vocalized in a saccharine tone. And just like that, the subject was dropped; bless the Slytherins, they didn't enjoy prying into other's life – unless the person wasn't a Slytherin, and the six first years knew by now, that if Odette wanted to share her secrets, she would in her own time, they just had to be patient.

The Halloween feast was going along swimmingly with the Gryffindor table being the boisterous bunch, celebrating with pride over the Boy-Who-Lived who sat arrogantly amidst the seas of red and gold, but halfway through the feast, Divus began screeching in urgent tones with their mental connection, _Danger my Queen. Beware, a troll has been set loose in the castle!_ Shiva, being her familiar as well, understood Divus' words and coiled tighter around her wrist, ready to protect her mistress if the need arises.

Not even a second later, the blithering simpleton excuse of a Defense Professor barged into the Great Hall, silencing the mass and causing a hush to travel around, watching with barely concealed interest as Quirrell ran up to Dumbledore, his lurid turban askew, and shouted, "TROLL! IN THE DUNGEON! Thought you ought to know," he whimpered, before turning limp, and he fainted, collapsing onto the ground.

"What. A. Coward," Odette scoffed in diatribe, staring at the unconscious professor with distaste and suspicion.

"He's a miserable sodding excuse of a Defense Professor. Father isn't pleased," Draco sneered, nodding in agreement to Odette's words.

It was quite hilarious how the seven Slytherin first years were causally debating Quirrell's efficiency as a professor while the whole hall erupted into panic mode as they shot up to their feet, yelling and screaming in pandemonium.

"QUIET!" Dumbledore bellowed, emitting purple firecrackers from his wand, prompting the hall to freeze and gape at him in silence. "Prefects," he rumbled upon gaining quiet from everyone, "Lead your Houses _back_ to the dormitories immediately!"

His words caused an uproar among the Slytherin table, and Odette stood up on the table and yelled, "Excuse me, _Headmaster_ Dumbledore, need you forget that the Slytherin common room's _location is in the dungeons!?_ "

The Slytherins all began smirking, some staring at Odette in pride and awe, especially when Dumbledore backtracked and began spluttering in indignation. "Yes, yes, I do apologize. I forgot in the heat of the moment. Slytherins remain in the Great Hall; your Head of House will retrieve you once the threat has been eliminated."

"Bloody brilliant, Oddy," Blaise smirked, patting her on the back in a comrade fashion.

Pansy sneered at her, "Anyone could have spoken up and reminded Dumbledore."

"Then why didn't you, Parkinson? Cat caught your tongue? Or were you doing us all a favor and sparing us all from getting deafened by your annoyingly grating nasal pitch?" Odette retorted with a sneer. Most of the Slytherins began laughing as Pansy squawked in degradation. Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Millicent Bulstrode and Lily Moon, the only Slytherin firsties that joined Pansy's disturbing gang began mollifying the pug-faced girl, but Odette's attention swayed toward Charlus and Ron who looked to be sneaking off _without_ permission.

Creating a transparent privacy bubble around her, Odette quickly hissed at her snake, ordering Shiva to follow her nincompoop of a brother and his moron lackey without being seen and to relay to her what they were up to.

An hour later, the Slytherins were safely ensconced in their common room, where they were finishing up the remaining feast brought by the house-elves. Shiva had informed her of the two moronic Gryffindors saving the annoying bushy-haired beaver from the troll, and their suspicion of Snape trying to sneak into the forbidden corridor.

All things considered, Halloween seemed to have taken an interesting turn, especially when Fawkes flashed over as she was preparing herself for sleep, with another lemon drop from the Headmaster's secret stash.

According to Fawkes, the old codger kept a large amount of lemon drops separate from the offered ones and continuously sucked on them as though his life depended on it. Odette now had two lemon drops to dissect, and she was determined to discover the bastard who aided in her troubled childhood's secret before the year concluded.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

"May I help you, Miss Potter?" Snape drawled, unable to hide the curiosity from his onyx orbs as the redhead stayed behind after Potions class and approached him.

Sitting causally on the opposite seat, Odette smirked, "I thought it would be lovely to strike a conversation over the Boy-Who-Lived and his moronic sidekick's stupidity. Interested?"

Leaning forward, Snape's face morphed into a mixture of surprise and interest, "Hmm, very much so. You may proceed…"

"I thought you'd appreciate my informing you that Charlus and his cohorts which are now joined by the annoying know-it-all Granger, have their suspicions about you. Granger is proving hard to sway, but Charlus and Weasley believe you are after whatever is hidden in the forbidden corridor since they witnessed you trying to get through on Halloween, before they eliminated the troll," Odette confided matter-of-factly, her eyes plastered on her nails as she buffed it against her chest with total nonchalance.

"Insufferable Gryffindors, sticking their nose where it doesn't belon-"Snape paused in his ranter and glared at the redhead with ill-veiled suspicion, "And _why_ , Miss Potter are you telling me this exactly?"

Waving her hands dramatically, Odette flashed him a grin, "Countless of reasons, Professor Snape. For one, Slytherins protect their own, am I incorrect? I already informed you that the Potters are no family of mine. Another reason," mischief flashed in her emerald orbs, giving Snape a feeling of dread, " _Information_."

Snape was startled, not having expected those words the least bit, "I'm sorry, what? _Information_?"

"And why not, Professor. Information in the Wizarding World is gold. Information is _power_. Information can lead to riches. I don't like being kept out of the loop. So yes, _information_ ," Odette's lips curved into a shark-like grin, and Snape found himself interested; this girl continued to prove him wrong on many occasions ever since she got sorted into his House.

"How very … _Slytherin_ of you," Snape smirked.

"Why thank you," Odette's lips curved into an honest to god, genuine smile, making her face look softer. "So, back to business, Professor Snape, why did Quirrell set a troll loose into the castle and went after whatever is hidden in the third floor corridor?"

"I beg your pardon? What on earth makes you think Quirrell was the culprit?" Of course, Snape knew that the daft stuttering fool was after the Sorcerer's Stone, but he was curious to hear Odette Potter's interpretation and what brought her to the certain conclusion.

"Oh, please," Odette rolled her eyes, staring at Snape as though he were being an idiot on purpose, "During our first Defense Against the Dark Arts class, the stuttering simpleton boasted, quite vehemently, I might add, that he was an expert in trolls, _but_ when he _actually_ encounters a troll he doesn't try to capture or kill it instead he runs into the Great Hall announces that the troll is in the dungeons and faints dead away. How utterly ridiculous. And even if he _isn't_ an expert in trolls, what kind of grown wizard teaching Defense, _faints_ at the mere mention of a troll? Later on, it turns out however that the troll _isn't_ in fact, _in_ the dungeons but on the first floor and some distance away from any staircase big enough for it to fit through easily. And as I am conversing with the Slytherins in the Great Hall, I notice that Quirrell is already recovered from his ' _supposed faint'_ and has disappeared completely in the opposite direction to where he announced the troll's location to be. So it occurs to me that _maybe_ , just _maybe_ Quirrell _deliberately_ let the troll into the castle onto the First floor and merely said it was in the dungeons so that all the professors will run off half-cocked and start searching the dungeons up, thereby giving him time to go straight to the Third floor and try to get past the Cerberus – and don't ask how I knew, I have my ways," Odette grinned, sparing her flabbergasted Head of House with a wink – no need for him to know that Fawkes, Divus and Shiva informed her of the Cerberus. "Luckily the head of Slytherin House is clever enough to see that the troll is merely a diversion and goes to the Third Floor corridor himself to secure it which, _unfortunately_ is when the Cerberus got a chunk out of him," here she glanced down at his injured leg, causing Snape to swiftly cover it with his black billowing robes. "Did I leave anything out, Professor?" she fluttered her eyelashes innocently.

There was silence in the classroom for a very long moment as Snape blinked a manifold amount of times, his finger absently stroking his lower lip. "You continue to surprise me, Miss Potter. If James Potter knew of your impressive deduction skills and sharp eyes, he would be boasting at the top of his lungs that you have the ability of following his footsteps and becoming a deft auror as your future profession."

"I'll take the compliment from you since you were the one to mention it," Odette smirked, causally batting away the mention of the sperm donor. "Now, how about an alliance of sorts? I feed you information and you satiate my curiosity. What say you? It could be _very_ beneficial."

"What exactly do you have in mind?" Snape leaned forward, all suspicion diminished; he found himself immensely enjoying the company of Lily's abandoned daughter.

"Quid pro quo, Professor. Quid pro quo." Lowering her voice into hushed tones, she leaned forward conspiratorially and said, " _What_ is the Cerberus guarding in the Third Floor Corridor?"

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

"The Sorcerer's Stone is real? Like _actually_ real?!" Lexi gaped in awe, her chocolate eyes widening as she stared unblinkingly at her best friend.

Odette smirked, burrowing her head into the crook of Lee's neck and folding her legs neatly underneath her, "Oh, it's real alright. And get this, according to Snape, the old codger is risking Nicholas Flamel's most prized creation to _test_ my fool of a brother."

"Blasphemy," Lee gasped mockingly, prompting both, Lexi and Odette to smack him lightly atop his head.

"No in all seriousness, to put it eloquently, 'what the fuck'? Is the old goat on crack?" Lexi shrieked, "The Sorcerer's Stone should be coveted and guarded fiercely, not used carelessly as a tool."

"Your guess is as good as mine. Not only is he risking a friendship between the notorious and powerful alchemist, but he's risking the Stone falling into the wrong hands," Odette huffed; the redhead respected power, and had an ambition of formulating powerful allies in her corner. Dumbledore was a fool to be risking both goals in one strike, for the measly reason of testing the WRONG Boy-Who-Lived.

"Uh-oh, we know that look. Spill, Dee," Lee grinned, tightening his hold on the young girl.

Grinning, Odette sat up straight and in a faux-innocent voice, said, "Snape, _may have_ confided in me that the Headmaster – hypothetically speaking of course – will be placing the Stone in the forbidden corridor _after_ Christmas."

Lexi gasped, shooting up to her feet and staring at Odette with incredulous eyes, "You're going to retrieve the Stone yourself, aren't you?"

" _Hypothetically_ speaking, _duhh_ ," Odette smirked, "It wouldn't do for the Stone to fall into the wrong hands due to the codger's machinations in his desperate attempts to assess my foolhardy brother. I'm going to steal that Stone before anybody else does … meaning, Quirrell."

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

Ever since Odette Potter was handed over by Ivan Vanko to the Petrovich brothers as though she were mere takeout, there had been many instants where the young redhead found it to be a blessing instead of a curse. Mainly due to her sharp skills and impeccable senses, but also due to the serum they had injected into her system, which had proved to be incredibly beneficial.

Under the strenuous and rigid training of the Red Room, _and_ the injection of the serum, Odette easily spotted the stuttering simpleton muttering rapidly under his breath without a binocular, cursing Charlus' broom in the middle of the Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch match. She also noticed Snape mumbling the counter-curse, and her failure of a mother and father yelling in rage for somebody to do something.

"Someone is jinxing his broom," Draco uselessly pointed out. Odette had to bite her lips, suppressing herself from sarcastically saying, 'No shit, Sherlock.'

"It must be a teacher. I don't think I'm comfortable living in Hogwarts with a murderer amongst us," Tracey said hysterically, clutching onto Blaise and Daphne with an iron grip and threatening to stop their blood circulation.

It was at that precise moment that Odette noticed the rat's nest Granger called hair, sneaking into the teacher's stand and stumbling onto Quirrell, halting the spell from procession; her emerald eyes narrowed when she discovered the stuttering fool wasn't her target, but Snape. How _convenient_ that Severus Snape's robes caught on fire at that particular moment; the redhead smirked, she would definitely be using that as leverage. Little Miss Know-It-All, the Worshiper of all and any rules, deliberately created arson … blackmail was a wondrous thing.

Not long after, the match ended and Charlus was currently being suffocated by James and Lily while Odette's friends bemoaned their loss against the Gryffindorks. Noting Charlus and his cohorts sneak away into Hagrid's Hut, Odette decided to make her move.

"Dee, where are you going?" Draco asked curiously.

"I'm going to have a 'chat' with the Boy-Who-Lived. Got to keep up pretenses and enquire about his _wellbeing_. How about I meet you at the common room?" the others knew that Odette was subtly dismissing them, but stubborn-headed Daphne and Tracey indignantly flocked around her and the three girls ambled over to the sorry excuse of a house.

"What are you and your snakes doing here?" Charlus growled heatedly.

Rolling her eyes, Odette smirked, "I think the better question is, why are you getting medical treatment from the groundskeeper when we have a highly-trained professional mediwitch _inside_ the castle. No offense Hagrid," she flashed the half-giant her best, most charming smile, inwardly smirking when Hagrid beamed back, putty in her hand. Charlus, Weasley and Granger gaped at her in shock upon noticing Hagrid's friendly demeanor toward her, and Odette smoothly carried on with her tirade, "Anywhoo, dear _brother_ , my friends and I noticed that you seemed to have trouble controlling your broom, and we were curious to Granger's thoughts about the situation."

Daphne, bless the cunning Slytherin that she was with the many sarcastic remarks stored in her repertoire, tacked on to Odette's point and sneered, "Yes, Granger, we're practically _burning_ with curiosity here."

Charlus blanched while Granger adamantly crossed her arms and huffed, sticking her nose snootily into the air.

Ronald Weasley, idiotic redhead extraordinaire and basically _not_ the brightest crayon in the box, snarled, "Like you didn't know Snake! It was your greasy Head of House that tried to kill my best friend!"

Hagrid let out a loud exhale and blustered, "Here now, Ron, like I was sayin', Perfessor Snape is a Hogwarts teacher. Why would he wan' to harm Charlus?"

Tracey energetically bobbed her head, beaming at the half-giant, "Thank you, Hagrid. Professor Snape would never do such a thing."

"Of course a snake would defend the head snake," Charlus scoffed, glaring at the three girls maliciously, his face turning puce with anger.

Granger bristled and in her methodical haughty know-it-all voice, said, "He may be your Head of House, and you may have misconceived loyalty toward him, but I _know_ what I saw! The whole time Charlus' broom was being jinxed, Snape-"

"That's _Professor_ Snape, Granger," Odette corrected with a smirk, garnering a sneer from three sets of Gryffindors, before staring stupefied at Hagrid who was nodding in fervent agreement, sending Odette a look of approval.

"Anyways," Granger bristled, returning to the point in hand, "I saw _him_ staring at Charlus without blinking, muttering to himself. I know these jinxes, and I've read _all_ about them, you have to maintain eye contact and concentration, and Snape _wasn't_ blinking!"

Suddenly, Hagrid – who seemed to have, much to the three Gryffindors' ire, taken a liking to the three Slytherin girls – offered them a platter filled to the brim with deformed rock cakes. Of course, Odette may have been invisible and ignored during childhood, but she nevertheless heard James and Sirius regale many stories of their Hogwarts days, and she relayed to her Slytherin friends about Hagrid's inedible cooking.

"You're very kind Hagrid," Odette smiled sweetly, "Unfortunately, dinner will start soon, and Daph, Trace and I don't want to spoil our appetites. You understand, right?"

"'Course, o' course girls," Hagrid beamed. The three Gryffindors gaped at the cunning displayed with such politeness and inwardly began cussing the Slytherin girls who were smirking winningly at their reproachful looks of indignation and malice.

"Back to the matter in hand," Daphne smoothly reminded them.

"Oh, yes," Odette's eyes gleamed in triumph, looping her arm with Daphne's, "Now where were we?"

Hermione glared at the gorgeous redhead that she was undeniably envious of, "If anyone at Hogwarts is capable of Dark Arts, it's probably Professor Snape. Mr. Potter said so himself."

"Of course! If _Mr. Potter_ said it, then by all means, it must be true. After all, he is the all-knowing. Forgoing the fact that it may be the, oh, _I don't know_ , _Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor_? Who, by the way, was _also_ maintaining unblinking eye contact and muttering the whole time Charlus' precious broom was bucking like a buckaroo, at least until _you_ knocked him over en route to your little _arson attempt_ ," Odette grinned maleficently.

Granger's eyes widened; she was unable to lie to herself, but Odette Potter looked downright sinister at the moment, especially when she announced the way she broke the rules in such an abominable fashion. The bushy-haired bookworm only hoped that Charlus would be able to protect her from his devious, terrifying twin sister.

Hiding her fear behind her snootiness, Granger sniffed, "Honestly, it was just bluebell flames, you make me sound like some pyromaniac."

"Huh, so then, you wouldn't mind if we convey your actions to Professor Snape then? Since it was _only_ bluebell flames," Tracey drawled a contemptible sneer visible on her face. Granger blanched, her rat's nest of a hair practically crackling with fear and Odette and Daphne traded triumphantly proud smiles; Tracey may be a bubbly, hyper, trusting and friendly Slytherin, but when push comes to shove, she was a Slytherin at heart and could be cunning to the core.

"Hang on," Charlus bellowed, eyes widening on his twin sister, "Forget the blasted bluebell for a sec. are you saying that it was Quirrell and _not_ Snape who was trying to kill me?" he demanded.

"Charlus!" Weasley scolded his friend, staring at him in disbelief, "You're allowing the sneaky Slytherins to brainwash you. They're manipulating you. They're making it up to protect the greasy git!"

Daphne sneered at Weasley in disgust, "You are such a moron, I honestly wonder how in Merlin's name you got accepted into this prestigious school. It certainly baffles me." Weasley's face flamed a neon red color clashing horribly with his hair, either in mortification or rage.

"Believe whatever you want to believe. But when you end up in the hospital wing, or worse, _dead_ , you'll be wishing you listened to me," Odette drawled uncaringly before whipping around to face Granger, "And by the way Granger, for your _information_ Miss Know-It-All Bookworm, you might have wanted to flip the page a bit, maybe you would have seen that the counter-curse worked the same way, maintaining eye-contact _without_ blinking. You were distracted by Professor Snape, but from my vantage point, I saw the whole thing. As soon as you knocked Quirrell over, Charlus' broom stopped shaking."

A glazed look appeared on Odette's face and she suddenly grinned, "Come to think of it, if you look back on it, it was very _fortunate_ that the two professors were seated the way they were, otherwise it would have been … _tragic_ if you got to Professor Snape without passing by Quirrell. You might have distracted him from casting the counter-curse and the poor Boy-Who-Lived would be a ghastly splatter of innards sprinkled all over the Quidditch field."

"Oohh, I didn't think of that, good job, Dee," Daphne laughed. The Gryffindors, however, didn't share their amusement, and even though they had doubts that Snape was trying to cast the counter-case, the fact still repulsed them and had them quaking in fear.

"Snape or Quirrell, what did they hope to gain? I mean, there's no point, if Charlus fell, any of the Professors would have easily cast the Levitation Charm and saved him," Hermione spat in a bossy tone.

Charlus and Weasley grinned, and intoned, "Exactly, Hermione." But the three Slytherins didn't look impressed.

"You Gryffindors are so bloody daft!" Tracey huffed.

"My sentiments exactly," Daphne sneered.

Odette smiled victoriously, "You Gryffindors think you're so smart, don't you? Think outside the box, or is that an affinity only Slytherins have the ability of doing?" Without waiting for them to interrupt in offense, Odette smoothly carried on, looping her free hand with Tracey, "Professor Quirrell, stuttering simpleton that he is, was actually quite clever in his assessment, but he didn't anticipate anybody trying to counter his jinx. His goal was most probably to direct control of your broom and then just have it crash onto the ground, splattering you all across the field like a sack of tomatoes. Everyone would have assumed you located the snitch and lost control of your broom at the last moment since you were going too fast."

"There is after all, a reason why first years aren't allowed on the Quidditch team," Daphne added in vengeance with a sneer, her sapphire eyes resembling a glacier.

"The Boy-Who-Lived, tragically dying in a _friendly_ Quidditch match at Hogwarts, how … utterly sad," Tracey mock-pouted; the three Slytherins were definitely enjoying the varying shades of green decorated on the Gryffindors' faces.

"Of course, the prestige Headmaster would be blamed by the Magical Community for bending the rules and allowing the precious Boy-Who-Lived to play, and probably even be forced out of his esteemed position, thereby leaving whatever the Cerberus is guarding more _vulnerable_ ," Odette concluded, her eyes twinkling with glee. She had to give her two friends credit, they were smart enough not to question her about the Cerberus and instead stayed quiet, regarding the Gryffindors reaction; just like true Slytherins … _and friends_ , a sneaky traitorous voice whispered in her head.

"How do you know about that?" The three Gryffindors exclaimed indignantly, and Odette spared them a pitying look – they should know better by now that Odette Potter knew everything. However, Hagrid simultaneously dropped his enormous tea cup and demanded, "How did yeh know abou' Fluffy?"

" _FLUFFY_?" every first year in the room yelled in panicky tones and various amounts of disbelief, staring at Hagrid as though he were certifiably insane.

"That _thing_ has a name?" Granger spluttered in outrage.

"Hagrid, you named a vicious three-headed, man-eating dog … _Fluffy_?" Odette said in slow tones, unable to hide her shock behind her deft mask.

"Yeah, it was given to me by a Greek chappie I met down tha pub, and then I lent it to Headmaster Dumbledore, sir to guard the-"

" _Yes_?" Charlus pressed on, causing Hagrid to snap his mouth shut and begin mumbling, "I should'n have said tha'" repeatedly. Odette rolled her eyes at her brother's obvious display of idiocy – in order to get information, one should know when to keep their mouth shut. Fortunately for her, Odette already knew what ' _Fluffy'_ was guarding.

"Well, we just wanted to point out that we witnessed your arson felony. Toodles," Odette smirked, eyes glinting evilly at a terrified Granger.

"Bye Hagrid," Tracey chirped.

"Goodbye, girls," Hagrid boomed out enthusiastically.

As the three Slytherins ambled into the castle, ignoring James and Lily Potter calling out for Odette, Daphne fixed the redhead with a solemn stare, "Now, tell us … What is this I hear about there being a bloody Cerberus in the school?"

 **A/N:** **Whew! This was a looooonggg chapter. I tried summarizing many points in this chapter.**

 **Did you like the beginning? I decided to portray Shadow Swan in her element, and show Odette sneaking outside the school … all Hogwarts would be so boring, especially since Odette has a way of leaving the school.**

 **Important factor of this chapter: the lemon drop that Fawkes gave her. Remember that!**

 **Did you enjoy reading about Odette and the six Slytherin firsties? Odette is TRYING to be friends with them, but naturally she's scared and keeping her distance as it was ingrained in her since the Red Room and the death of Zelda.**

 **Did you enjoy this chapter? The Snape/Odette bonding; the Odette/Firsty Slytherin bonding; and the Odette/Charlus confrontation? Oh, and let me know what you think of the six Slytherins I chose to befriend her! XD**

 **R &R.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **I am so sorry for the delay! It's just, I am writing 22 stories all at once and it is hard for me to update sooner. Also, I will NEVER abandon my story, NONE OF THEM, so don't worry XD! No matter how long it takes me to update, I am not one to abandon a story!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 21:**

When Voldemort met his downfall with little 'Charlus' Potter that Halloween night, a myriad of the Dark Lord's followers who were dubbed, Death Eaters, pledged Imperius Curse, some threw a shitload of money to a few charities masking themselves as humanitarians, and a few bribed the blithering fool of a Minister, Cornelius Fudge. Numerous ruthless Death Eaters were caught in the raid in Diagon Alley, the same night of the Dark Lord's demise, such as the twisted Carrow siblings, Antonin Dolohov, Yaxley, and many others. However, the Dark Lord's favored and most trusted, like the Malfoys and the Lestranges got out scot-free since the only demand given to them, was to lay low.

The Ministry and the Light Side which comprised Dumbledore's Chicken Order were completely unaware of the delicate machinations of the Dark Lord and his faithful's. Some Death Eaters were not given the prestigious privilege of being branded with the Dark Mark, and some were merely contacts, or spies, disguised as regular citizens, fraudulently neutral in the skirmish that shook Magical Britain.

For that simple strategic reason, many miscreants roamed freely under the guise of regular civilians, making a foolery of the Ministry of Magic and the higher ups.

Benjamin Russell was an exemplary of the Dark Lord's clandestine followers that escaped justice and damnation. The Russells weren't one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight; they were an extremely minor House with an abundance of gold and riches. Benjamin was never referred to as a Lord, but the Russells were categorized as a strictly Dark Family and were known for dabbling in the Darkest of Arts.

Benjamin had been given the honor of being branded with the Dark Lord's Mark, but was kept hush-hush from even the Inner Circle. Voldemort severely enjoyed what he had to offer, a sick and twisted mind whose specialty was raping women and a few men until they were a shell of their former selves, a morbid punishment instead of the welcoming arms of Death. In St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies, a ward was allocated and filled to the brim with Benjamin Russell's victims, lost deeply in the recess of their minds, replaying their greatest fear – Benjamin – yet unable to utter the identity of their tormentor, leaving the Magical Community dumbfounded, since even during the Death Eaters' trials, they were oblivious to the clandestine rapist's identification under the effects of Veritaserum.

With the Dark Lord gone, Benjamin resumed his abandoned hobby and began terrorizing the inhabitants of Muggle London. Every odd consecutive day, a Muggle was located in a puddle of blood, body fluids and insanity, quivering in heart-wrenching sobs and cries of lunacy, floundering the constabulary. But eventually, the Day of Judgment would come to collect from every sinned evildoer, and it so happened, that Benjamin Russell's sick ploy finally reached fruition a few days before Yule.

Leaning against a brick wall, hidden in an alley, Benjamin puffed nonchalantly on a cigarette, inhaling and exhaling the strong tobacco that filled him with the regular buzz, his steel blue-grey eyes focused nefariously on the latest unlucky victim.

The petite blonde Muggle froze mid-step, like a cornered animal sensing danger, and Benjamin reveled in the fear that radiated from her tiny form. Eliciting raucous chuckles at the ward awaiting their latest patient in the Insane Asylum, he pounced from the shadows, not even bothering to muffle her shrilled screams – for he was a Dark Wizard, an arrogant man who held faith in his potent silencing charm placed on the alley before the unlucky filthy Muggle walked headfirst into his trap.

The nefarious wizard was oblivious that _he_ had in fact, walked into the trap, and that it was _his_ last unlucky day on Earth. The modus operandi was harshly abrupted when, much to his greatest shock, the warm and soft form trapped in his strong arms dissolved into a wisp of black smoke and he found himself grabbing nothing but thin air.

Like a rabid animal that needed to be put to sleep, Benjamin dangerously whipped his head around from left to right, forward and backward, but his victim was nowhere in sight, and that was when he heard it. Cold, malicious laughter, ringing perversely in the empty alley, eliciting goosebumps out of him and the hair on the back of his neck rose exponentially.

"You're not a Muggle, are you?" Benjamin growled out in a methodical slick tone, in resemblance to slime; furtively he slid out his prized wand, a weapon he hadn't felt the need to use when attacking Muggles.

The biting cold tone echoed around him, "Now, what gave you _that_ idea, Russell?" And before his mien could morph into shock at the sound of his name, a hard blow came in contact with his spinal cord, bringing him down to his knees, his wand clattering away from reach and onto the pavement.

He was paralyzed, and his blue-grey eyes began watering with agony. A cold, dainty hand grabbed his chin roughly, raising it upwards to face his prey-turned-predator in the eye. From afar, he identified her as blonde and petite, but up close, he noticed onyx eyes burning like an inferno, an oval face and a much too large nose that contrasted greatly with her soft features. She bent lower and chuckled, and Benjamin could smell mint and oranges fan his face from her cold raspy breath, but for some unknown reason, it smelt like death to him.

"Your sick and twisted days has come to an end, _Benjamin Russell_ ," her mouth twisted into a shark-like smile, "You have been most difficult to capture, but I guess it was due to the fact that you're a wizard, huh," it was a statement, not a question, and Benjamin knew that even if she hadn't managed to successfully paralyze him with one crucial blow, he would be frozen in fear. This mystifying not-Muggle was death personified.

"You reek of death," he spat, his voice a mixture of a snarl and a quiver.

The woman grinned, and if he weren't mistaken, oddly … _flattered_ , "That is because I am the harbinger of death, and my main victims happen to be _rapists_. Unlucky for you, dear one, you fall flat into that category. I see why Voldemort showed a reverent interest in you. You are one sick fuck, aren't you? Makes me wonder what happened to you as a child …. The mind healers would get a kick out of you," and suddenly, her head fell backwards and she let out a bellow of cold laughter that was strictly artificial.

Benjamin knew his life had come to an abrupt end, and so, he asked the last question he was most curious of before he was to be sent down to the fiery pits of hell, " _Who_ are you?"

A smirk inhabited her face – a cruel, devious smirk that held a double-meaning, and Benjamin discerned that he would never discover this woman's secret. "I am Shadow Swan."

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

The commonly empty alleyway in Quay Street was buzzing with activity; police officers and coroners surrounded a mutilated and gory body, staring down at it with revolted eyes. Deadened blue-grey eyes were frozen forever more in a red-rimmed and wide-eyed depiction of fear, thin lips were agape and twisted in anguish, and the onlookers shivered as they imagined the man's tormented screams reverberating in their head.

Officer Stuart Motley grimaced from his position a few feet away from the victim who held absolutely no identification, but he had a shrewd suspicion his contacts would, and upon hearing the familiar tell-tale loud cracks from around the corner, he straightened up and whipped around, smiling wearily at the three men approaching him.

"Sirius! I'm glad you could make it," Stuart sighed, offering a handshake, and the handsome aristocratic man with stormy grey eyes smiled genially in return, taking the offered hand at once. "You called, I came. What's this about, Stu?"

Stuart Motley was a second generation squib and growing up in his childhood house in Grimmauld Place 10, him and his sister, Alice, who happened to be the only Motley that inherited magic from their grandparents, were familiarized with Sirius Black who managed to escape his horrid family into the noisy playground a few blocks away. Stuart and Sirius were the same age, while Alice and Sirius' younger brother, Regulus were admitted into the same year. Sorted into Hufflepuff, Sirius assumed the role as the younger, docile girl's protector, and although they lived in two different worlds, Stuart never lost contact with Sirius who was still amicable with Alice Gérard, née Motley.

"D'you lose your manners, Black?" a gruff, weather-beaten man from beside Sirius growled out; he wore a long cloak and a bowler's hat and Stuart instantly recognized him to be the notorious Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody who was the reason most of Azkaban's prison cells were filled out.

Sheepishly, Sirius grinned and distractedly gestured his hands toward the men on both sides of him, "The one lacking humor here is my boss, Head Auror Moody, and this is my best friend and partner, Auror James Potter. Moody, James, this is an old neighbor of mine, Officer Stuart Motley, he's a squib."

Recognition gleamed in James Potter's hazel orbs and he flashed him a benign smile, "Little Alice's brother? I remember you talking-"

"Enough dilly dallying around," Alastor barked impatiently, tugging his bowler hat to cover his fake eye from the curious stares of the muggles, "What favor do you need?"

"Right," Stuart cleared his throat and tugged on his collar nervously, "We've got a murder victim, no identification, no fingerprints in our database, nothing. Either the guy is from some secretive service, _or_ he's a wizard. Now, we ain't squeamish here since we see a lot of death, but this… this is some messed up shit," Stuart beckoned them to walk along with him, and the other officers and coroners gave the four of them a wide berth. Alastor, James and Sirius didn't fail to notice that they all seemed to be relieved to set a long distance with the dead body.

"You have any proof that this person is a wizard?" Alastor gruffly demanded in a low voice, "He could be running from the law and had connections to make himself disappear."

Stuart nodded sternly, "I thought so, too. Unfortunately, I got a glaringly obvious proof pointing him towards your community. The perpetrator was _kind_ enough to leave us the proof untouched."

James frowned in confusion, "What do you mean? Untouche-," unable to finish the sentence, James Potter let out a strangled noise seemingly a mixture between a cough of disgust and a yelp. Even Alastor, the war-veteran who lost an eye, a leg and a chunk of his nose in the war stared at the mutilated body – or what remained of it – in revulsion and horror.

"Shadow Swan," Sirius whispered with wide-eyes focused intently on the signature carved crudely on the decapitated man's forehead. Of course, the Magical Community in Britain had heard rumors of the deadly assassin terrorizing Muggle London, originating from America. This was however, the first time one of their own was slaughtered by the murderer.

Alastor coughed gruffly and pointed a gnarly index finger and the limbless corpse, "I recognize him alright. Benjamin Russell; came from a Dark family, surprisingly kept his nose clean, no complaints about him and he has a clean state of criminal activity."

James bobbed his head in agreement, "He took no sides in the war with Voldemort, barely listed himself as neutral, too."

Stuart stared at the three oblivious aurors in disbelief and skeptically snapped, "Are you sure about that? Evidence paints a completely different story that immensely contradicts your saintly image of him!" And before the wizards could question his claim, Stuart ordered one of the Officers nearby for a plastic baggie with evidence. A mere moment later, Stuart handed over the amputated left arm of Benjamin Russell where the familiar Dark Mark was tattooed.

"Son of a bitch!" Alastor swore, his one eye widening vehemently, while James and Sirius recoiled in shock and horror. "So, what? This Shadow Swan is some kind of vigilante, doing the job _for_ us?" James whispered.

Stuart shook his head, and dragged a hand through his bronze waves, "Nah, Shadow Swan is a murderer alright. An abhorrent cold-blooded killer. However, one fact we _do_ know about this assassin, is they despise rape. Left us a printed message, smart not to give us any way of identifying themselves, claiming that the Insane Asylum is filled with his victims."

Sirius was the one to ask the million galleon question, "How did Shadow Swan manage to have the upper hand over a Dark and highly trained Wizard that had managed to stay out of _our_ radar?"

A chilling silence met Sirius' shrewd question, and Stuart was the first to find his voice, "If you're saying this Shadow Swan is witch or wizard, then we're completely screwed! It would solve the befuddling question of _how come_ they never got caught in nearly six years."

After that, it didn't take long for the evidence to point them in the direction that the myriad of unsolved cases of rape victims in a special ward of its own in St Mungo's, were sent there by Benjamin Russell, the coveted follower of Lord Voldemort.

Alastor, James and Sirius didn't know if they should be thankful to the assassin Shadow Swan, or fear them for solving a case that took them a little more than a decade to unravel, and would have taken them longer, if it weren't for the crude aid.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

It had been a week since Odette returned back to Potter Manor for the Christmas holidays, and she spent most of her time ducking James and Lily Potter who had been insistent on spending time getting to know her for the time lost. Odette found herself tarrying with little Harry and visiting Lee and Lexi, while frequently roaming around as Shadow Swan.

Recalling her last murder, Benjamin Russell, Odette knew that confronting him was a risk since Magical Britain would be involved for the first time, but it had to happen.

Odette was by no means a saint, nor was she an abider of the law, nor the protector of citizens; she killed in cold-blood, and _she_ _enjoyed it_ , basking in their pleads and tormented screams of pain, but most of all, Odette Potter reveled in watching the light leave their eyes, knowing that her murderous face with a shit-eating grin would be the last thing they would ever see, and she found a sick delight in being their executioner.

However, her twisted conducts had a limit, and it was rape. It was of no importance what their gender was, or their age, rape was wrong in her basically non-existent book of right and wrong. During her five months of captivity by Ivan Vanko, being tormented, anguished and defiled on a repetitive basis, Odette solemnly vowed to herself, that she would do everything to the best of her ability, to never allow a single soul to feel her pain, and be debased in such a cruel demeaning way where their virtue would be forcibly taken by despicable demons.

By no means did it make Odette and Shadow Swan good, but the pleasure of getting even for every pain, every hurt, every scream, and every tear Ivan Vanko caused her. And if Odette had to take a break from being an assassin to murder every single rapist in the planet, then she would do it gladly, without batting an eyelash or complaint. Every rapist expunged from the planet allowed her to breathe even more freely.

Currently, it was Christmas and her alleged parents were excited to have a full-out family gathering with Remus Lupin, the Blacks and the Longbottoms. Odette couldn't help but viciously roll her eyes and glare at the red and gold dress Lily left hanging in her closet for the family Yule Dinner; Gryffindor colors, she scoffed with revulsion; even though Odette was sorted into Slytherin, they still tried to forcibly change her, and even though red and gold was also the color for the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, she wanted no part in belonging with them. If it weren't for Harry, Odette would have tossed out the Potter name and emancipated herself, moving into one of the many Manors she had inherited with her numerous impressive titles.

Unbeknownst to the Potters, Odette already made plans for Yule. Narcissa Malfoy sent a fancy engraved invitation to their Yule Dinner for Christmas Eve, and Lucius Malfoy – of all people – had even sent her a missive, informing her that their family would be _honored_ to have her come as their well-esteemed guest. Odette supposed they were laying it on thick, but after a week of pondering and a hearty discussion with Lexi, she discovered that it was merely two grateful parents who loved their child more than anything in the world and had no limit in showing their abundant gratitude.

Christmas day however, would be spent with Lee, Lexi and Bree in the British Emrys Manor. And so, Odette Potter would _not_ be spending the holiday around her so-called family's suffocating presence; after all, they managed to survive a decade of holidays without her inclusion, and Odette didn't see fit to bless them with her company now that they _knew_ she had always been a witch.

Hearing the guests' arrival, Odette quickly donned on a sweetheart neckline emerald ball gown that brought out her vivid Avada Kedavra eyes, interlaced with silver sequins, portraying her pride as Lady Slytherin. She styled her ruby red hair into bouncy curls and tied it sideways in a mermaid braid; her face was kept natural with no makeup whatsoever – for even though Odette was mature for her age ever since her defilement at the age four, she had to keep a low profile with the Magical Community and wait till her third year before acting adult.

Her silver ballet flats allowed her to descend silently down the staircase upon reaching the ballroom where the fireplace was situated; there was a unanimous hush as many pairs of eyes were frozen on her visage, taking in her ethereal beauty and violent Slytherin dress.

Lily chuckled nervously and ambled toward her with a hidden fire in the dissimilar emerald eyes, "Odette, sweetheart, where in heavens did you get that _dress_? I left you a stunning red and gold one for you to wear."

Pouting in a mien of childish innocence, Odette lifted the folded garment from her arm, "You mean this one? Yeah, I'm not some porcelain doll you can force a revolting Gryffindor-Potterish dress into," and without further ado, before anybody could blink, Odette tossed the rich dress into the fireplace, permeating the room with the charring smell of burnt cloth.

James let out a half-hearted booming laugh of good-nature, even though his hazel orbs were narrowed in rage and he addressed the guests with a smile, "Odette's going through a stage where she randomly spouts out a few tantrums, we're hoping she grows out of it soon. Odette, honey, come here, your godfather and Aunt Angelica have been most excited to see you."

The many expletives were frozen in a strangled choke, and Odette Arielle Potter found herself to be tongue-tied for the first time since Zelda's death as her icy, haunted emerald orbs located the two people she would have died for before … _before_ Ivan Vanko.

There they were, the two people she hadn't seen in seven years, the two individuals she screamed and begged and called out for in anguish when she was held in captivity in Russia. Sirius Black, her godfather looked as devastatingly handsome as ever with his silky raven waves, stormy grey eyes that stared intently at her with hope and wonder, and prominent aristocratic features most men would kill for, his full lips curved in a charming smile. Beside him, her arm looped through his, was the gorgeous Angelica, the woman she wished had taken the role as her own mother during childhood; strawberry blonde hair straightened elegantly, she had the same high cheekbones and petite nose, and doe-like baby blue eyes that shimmered with delight; Sirius and Angelica Black looked like a divine couple, and they aged gracefully, still appearing like a couple in their early to mid-twenties.

"Oddie," Sirius whispered in wonder, and from the peripheral of her vision, Odette took morbid pleasure in watching the precious Charlus Potter turn green with envy.

"Sirius, Angelica," Odette coolly uttered, her face frozen in an impassive state, and she inwardly smirked at the violent flinch that was a result of her icy, nonchalant greeting. Her eyes roamed over to their three children; Alexia was the only child she knew due to the Ball at the Ministry before everything went to hell. Alexia Black was a perfect replica of Angelica Warren-Black, except for the eyes; they were stormy grey like Sirius.

Angelica smiled genially once she noticed Odette's focus was one the children, "This is Alexia Black, Leo Black and Liam, our youngest. Would you like to meet your god-sister and god-brothers?" Leo was the carbon copy of Sirius; Liam on the other hand, could have passed as Leo's twin, if it weren't for the Warren eyes, the only child that inherited the baby blues.

Disinterestedly, Odette enunciated in a chilled tone, "No." She smiled sarcastically at the Longbottoms and her alleged godmother that never came to her aid or asked after her, and turned toward the fireplace, "If you'll excuse me, I've been invited to the Malfoy's Yule Dinn-"

"You are not going, Odette Arielle! They are a _Dark_ family, they were in league with Voldemort and you'll be putting your brother in danger," James snarled, forgoing the fake paternal act, "You will be spending Yule with your _family_ , and that's _that_!"

"James-" Sirius wanted to do damage control before a full-out argument could be blown out of proportion, but he was too late, for Odette arched an eyebrow and her emerald orbs glowed with heated rage and a malicious temper, her voice slicing into the already stifling atmosphere like a glacier.

" _Family_? You are _not_ my family, James Potter. In fact," Odette made sure to maintain eye-contact with each and every individual in the Manor, " _None of you are my family!_ Funny how you seem to worry about your precious _Boy-Who-Lived_ , and completely ignore Harry and my safety altogether, but at least I had a decade to get used to abandonment, unlike my baby brother who is already in the beginning stages of familiarizing himself with your crude treatment and lack of parentally affectionate care. Don't speak of matters you know not! Why would I want to spend Yule with a couple of disgraceful bastards? You who categorized yourselves firmly in the light, claiming to be a Light Family with no interest in the pureblood dogma being spouted, yet, when Albus Dumbledore fathomed me a squib, you tossed me away like trash! At least the purebloods would go to St Mungo's first and foremost for a _second_ opinion, to people skilled in detecting a magical core." Grinning sinisterly at the flabbergasted individuals and her apoplectic parents, Odette grabbed a handful of floo powder from the pot on the mantelpiece and before she vanished from the Potter Manor in green flames, she parted, "You already spent a decade of Yule without me, I'm sure you could survive another one. Just _pretend_ I don't exist, you've perfected that!"

Odette chuckled gleefully as she arrived at Malfoy Manor, imagining the reactions she left behind before Narcissa Malfoy's flawless form appeared in her line of vision, "Odette, honey, I am thrilled you made it. I wondered if your parents would forbid you."

"She was threatening to go over and retrieve you if you didn't show up within the allotted hour," a musical voice cackled slightly, and Odette turned to face Bellatrix Lestrange's violet orbs, cognizant to Charlus' fourth birthday Ball in the Ministry.

"Lady Lestrange, Lady Malfoy, I thank you for the invitation," Odette smiled sweetly, politely bowing.

"Oh, pish-posh, none of that here, darling," Narcissa cooed, engulfing her, yet again, in a motherly embrace, "You are part of the family. And family doesn't bow to one another. Now, Draco, Aaron and Blaise are most excited to see you," she continued smoothly, sandwiching the redhead between herself and Bellatrix as they escorted her into the lavishly decorated dining room.

A dulcet voice with an Italian lilt joined the fray, "And Rhea seems to be jealous. She has been demanding that she befriend you as well, just a warning." Odette looked up to see a woman with an olive-toned complexion, iron straight raven hair, prominent features and distinctive indigo eyes filled with mirth that were the carbon copy of Blaise's, and she instantly knew that this woman was his aunt.

"You must be Lady Zabini-Lestrange, Blaise's aunt," Odette grinned saccharinely.

Esmeralda tittered, "Call me Esme, like Cissa and Bella said, you're family now."

Before Odette managed to walk a few steps into the ballroom, she was attacked by her mob of … _friends_. Draco, Aaron and Blaise crowed around her, engulfing her in hugs and a slew of words, and strangely enough, the young emotionless assassin felt a warm feeling consume her over the fact that she was _actually wanted_ by this family. Once they allowed her a breather, Aaron nudged forward a short girl with raven black curls, indigo eyes and soft features who looked slightly intimidated when looking directly into Odette's eyes.

"Dee, this is Blaise and my little cousin, Rhea Lestrange. She'll be starting Hogwarts next year," Aaron introduced with a smirk, "She's not actually this shy, usually she's a blight little terror."

" _Hey_!" Rhea snapped, smacking him across the chest, her face tingeing with pink as she averted eye-contact with the redhead. Odette grinned and decided to be forthcoming, "Rhea, it's a pleasure to finally meet you, I've heard so much about you." And that was all it took to break the damn; Draco, Aaron and Blaise groaned in unison at the giddy girl who wouldn't shut up any longer, grabbing Odette's hand and dragging her over to the adults with the three boys obediently following from behind.

The cacophony of conversation halted abruptly as the children approached them, and Odette was hit with a sundry of familiar faces from the Ministry Ball. Rodolphus Lestrange's eyes widened perceptibly once they settled onto her form, and he spoke in a hushed voice, " _I remember you_. Odette from the Ministry Ball; the munchkin Sirius Black had been searching high and low for. Odette … _Potter_."

Biting back an impolite retort, Odette smirked, her eyes gleaming with mischief, "Bet you already knew that. I mean, I'm sure Mr. and Mrs-, uh, I mean, _Lucius_ and _Narcissa_ already regaled some interesting facts about me. Or even your son and nephews hmm?"

The Zabinis, the Malfoys and Bellatrix smothered their laughter as Rodolphus blinked in astonishment, but a jubilant booming laugh broke them from the reverie, and Odette turned to see the owner being a man resembling Rodolphus to the T, except for his leaner form, in contradiction to the older Lestrange's muscular body. "Rabastan Lestrange, Kid. I must say, I like your sass," turning to face the amused adults, he crowed, "She's perfect. I see what you meant Lucius."

Rodolphus finally cracked a smile, "I see why Aaron is so very fond of you."

After that interesting confrontation, they sat down for a laid out buffet filled with the richest delicacies; Odette enthusiastically familiarized herself with the Lestranges, the Malfoys and Blaise's parents, Eduardo and Pauline Zabini. It was a completely alien atmosphere for the cold-hearted redhead, who, the closest she had ever been to fit in and find a family of her own, was whenever she was around Lee, Lexi and Bree. The warm tingling feeling continued to consume her, especially when many plans were formulated for the holidays and during summer, where the adults practically bulldozed her into calling them Uncle and Auntie.

Odette Arielle Potter was finally building familial attachments and finding her place in the planet. Never in her wildest dream did she ever expect to feel the alien sensation of happiness, and that scared her more than anything. Her instincts, molded by the Petrovich brothers, were screaming at her to create a distance between them of amicable acquaintances, yet her heart, and that damn conscience of hers that sounded impeccably like Lexi Branson, demanded her to grab the opportunity and the silver lining that had aroused, otherwise she would regret it in the murky future.

Suffice to say, Lexi won out, but Odette insured herself that she would be cautious; no matter what, Odette would never forget the fate of Zelda, and she wouldn't wish it upon anybody, even though these ruthless witches and wizards were highly-skilled and could more than protect themselves from harm's way.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

"Bree! Come out, come out, wherever you are- _Woah_!"

Odette froze, shell-shocked as her emerald orbs met electric blue. It was Christmas Day, and Odette was given the post of collecting Bree from Georgia. However, the last thing she expected was to walk in on her Nature Witch friend doing early morning shots with a handsome stranger after having clearly concluding a shagging session.

"Bree, who's this?" the man had a velvety voice, hair as dark as the midnight sky, a perfectly sculpted face with chiseled cheekbones, electric blue eyes and, what looked to be, a patent smirk on his rosy lips.

" _This_ , can speak for herself, thank you very much. Arielle, how do you do, Mr. Stranger," Odette snarkily retorted, crossing her arms against her chest and glaring blankly at the smirking man.

Chuckling, the man allowed his eyes to roam her body, "Huh, Bree, didn't know you were babysitting. What are you, fourteen, fifteen?"

"Eleven," she negated coolly, inwardly smirking with success at the shocking surprise that flashed across his smug visage. Ignoring the man, Odette winked at Bree and clapped her hands twice, "Chop, chop Bree, we got places to go, things to do, people to see."

"Uh, right, let me just gather my things," Bree chuckled good-naturedly, before throwing a warning glare at the man, "Damon, _behave_!"

Odette moved toward the bar and jumped with expert ease, lounging cross-legged on the bar table, "So … Damon? How do you know Bree?"

"Oh, we go _waay_ back. Met her at college campus actually," Damon quipped; Odette was skilled in reading facial expressions due to the Red Room's training, and although she detected honesty in his reply, there was something else she couldn't fathom due to his vague wording.

Leaning forward, Damon's pupils dilated, and his velvet voice echoed hypnotizingly in her ears, "What about you, _Arielle_ , how do you know my dear, sweet Bree?"

Emerald orbs glowed in the perfect replica of the deathly Avada Kedavra Curse, and with efficient swiftness due to the serum injected into her veins, she smacked him hard on the cheek, the slap reverberating around the empty bar, "So, Mr. Damon Stranger is in all actuality, a _Vampire_ ," the nuance of her jesting tone morphed into a chilled anger, " _Never_ try and compel me again, otherwise it may be the _last_ thing you do. I may be eleven, but I am _not_ one to be trifled with."

Damon spluttered, staring agape at the curious mortal in front of him, "H-How did you know? You're not wearing any vervain."

Odette smirked, "I know plenty, Damon. And believe me; I do not need any protection from your type. On the contrary, _you_ may need protection from _me."_

"Is that a threat?" Damon snarled, all humor vanishing from his stance and his mien, his face twisting into a predatory gleam that portrayed his volatile nature.

"It's a warning," Odette whispered back, " _But_ you need only fear if you try and harm me and mine. _Including_ Bree!"

"Girl! You ready to go?" Bree's tangy American accent rang out; smiling brightly, she made a beeline toward an uncertain Damon and pecked his lips, "Sorry, my cherry pie, but I need to close up the bar. Don't be stranger now, you hear me!" she jokingly warned. Damon nodded absently, and sparing one parting confused glance at a smug Odette, he left Bree's Bar.

Bree swiveled around to face an innocent-looking Odette, and raised an eyebrow, completely unimpressed, "Okay, what did you tell him?"

Shrugging, Odette deftly waved her hand, wandlessly locking up the bar, "He tried to compel me, and I threatened his immortal life. Same old, same old," not leaving room for Bree to argue, Odette clasped her shoulder and Shadow-Travelled them into Emrys Manor where a beaming Lexi and amused Lee were waiting for them.

"Merry Christmas!" Lexi squealed giddily, suffocating the two witches in a bear hug.

"Merry indeed. Heya Lee," Odette chirped, hugging the handsome vampire who returned it tenfold. After the greetings were all over and done with, the four of them regrouped around the Christmas tree for a wonderful Christmas lunch prepared by the Emrys house-elves, trading stories and infectious laughter.

"Look, Dee, I know you're terrified of building ties with those magicals, but you need to take risks in life. I understand your point of view, but you can still be a cold-hearted bitch of an assassin, maintain your Shadow Swan persona _and_ be family to those rich 'uns," Lexi softly informed her after Odette blurted out her worries and mixed emotions from last night.

Lee nodded in agreement, "When you told us of your … _extracurricular activities_ , we didn't bat an eyelash, and we accepted you completely."

"Yeah, but you're _vampires_ , you understand the siren call for blood, and Bree here is friends with a ton of vamps, you guys are different," Odette pointed out neutrally.

"Uh-huh, girl, you told us they supported this Voldemort bastard," Bree snorted, "I don't think they have room to judge."

"Besides," Lexi calmly interjected, "We're not saying that you have to be honest with them. Just open up a bit, allow them to befriend you and let you in. From what you've told us, they already seem to be loyal to you, especially after you protected the Draco fellow from Charlus, and they obviously adore you. Just _give them a chance_."

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

The last week of the Yule Holiday passed without a glitch; the seething James and Lily Potter avoided Odette initially, until they decided to change strategies and kept looking for an excuse to _fix_ things with her – to no avail.

Odette continued to shut them out, and spent most of her time at Emrys Manor with Lee, Lexi and sometimes, Harry, since she was working on a project; Project Lemon Drops.

It wasn't until the day before she was to board the Hogwarts Express, did Odette finally achieve a breakthrough; she managed to separate the components of the Lemon Drops and the amalgamated potions. The last step of identifying the Potion was practiced beforehand in one of the darkest potion books from the Le Fay Library, allocated at the Manor in Switzerland; a dark spell to administer when one needed to detect potions before imbibing.

Funnily enough, it was perceived in a Potions Book written in Ancient Norse depicting its antiquity; immense gratitude toward Loki consumed her, since he was the God that had the foreknowledge to educate her in the complex language.

A sinister gleam followed by a triumphant cackle erupted from Odette's pouty lips when she recognized the potion laced in the old codger's offered Lemon Drops, and she shook her head at the paramount lengths the manipulator would go through to achieve his goals. However, the hidden stash Fawkes delivered to her had the assassin choking on a stupefied cough that wracked her whole body.

Emerald orbs widened impressively and her petal-shaped lips formed an 'o' of immeasurable shock and horror. _Nothing_ could have prepared the emotionless girl for the identification of the potion, and Odette's body shook with rage and scandal. If the detection of those Lemon Drops became known by the Magical Community, and published in the Daily Prophet, all hell would break lose.

Horrified she may be, the results didn't stop her lips from curving into a nefarious smirk, and she felt as though she were standing on top on the world with victory. This discovery would bring him down for sure, with an impossible mean of escaping.

'Oh, _Albus Dumbledore_ , beware my wrath, you are going down, and I can _not_ wait to out you… _soon.'_

 **A/N:** **Cliffhanger! What potions were mixed in the two lemon drops? Guess … wait and see, Dear Readers! By the end of Odette's first year, the truth of the Lemon Drops will come out.**

 **For those that wanted to see Sirius and Angelica, I gave you a small glimpse, but UNTIL Odette's third year, they will not be coming up regularly. Did you like the plot about Benjamin Russell? I like adding a few OCs and background events to spice up the story and try blending them in together.**

 **ALSO, tell me your honest opinion about Odette being welcomed as an honorary Malfoy, Lestrange and Zabini? They are dark like her, and I feel that they would understand her and protect her more than the Potters; of course, Odette wouldn't accept them so easily, it will take time … this is a rollercoaster ride and there will be many ups and downs and plot-twists.**

 **Damon Salvatore Fans out there, I added a small scene just for you. Question; do you think Damon would be stupid enough to kill Bree? Or even Lexi? Odette obviously is smart enough not to give him her real name.**

 **Next chapter, I'll try and add in a Loki scene.**

 **R &R.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Due to the fact that I made you all wait for this chapter, I am giving you a BONUS! Two chapters in one, and the end of Odette's first year at Hogwarts comes to a wrap. Also, a Tony Stark surprise!**

 **ENJOY! XD**

 **Chapter 22:**

The resonance clicking of a pair of heels ascending the staircase echoed in Tony Stark's Malibu Mansion; the disturbance only blending in with a ruckus of clanging tools emanating from the ground floor where the workshop was situated. Rolling her cornflower blue eyes in annoyance, the willowy blonde garbed in a navy blue professional dress-suit strode toward the master bedroom and halted in front of the king-sized bed where a redhead laid on her stomach, the bedspread barely cloaking her naked form. Letting out a loud huff of aggravation, she purposely ambled toward the celling-length window and aggressively yanked the curtains open, allowing the intense sun-rays to fill the room, successfully waking up the redhead with an abrupt start.

With a yelp, the gorgeous redhead shot upright in the bed and held an arm over her bleary eyes to block the sunlight, and after blinking repeatedly and noticing she wasn't alone in the room, grabbed the bedspread and covered her ample breasts from view. "Wh-, huh, _who are you_? Where's Tony?" the redhead shot her a glare, presuming the willowy blonde to be a threat in her quest of bagging the billionaire playboy.

Barely sparing the gold-digger a glance, the blonde grabbed the strewn scanty dress from the ground and tossed it at the redhead's bewildered face. "I'm Tony Stark's personal assistance, and I have been tasked with the ' _prestigious honor_ ' in showing you the way out," Pepper Potts gave her a bland smile and used the methodical honeyed tone of forced politeness engrained due to the many morning's spent kicking the plethora of brainless bimbo's to the curb as per Tony's instructions.

"Ex- _Excuse_ _me_!" the redhead narrowed her sapphire orbs in disdain but nevertheless, she quickly donned on what remained of her torn slutty red dress. Inwardly, Pepper sympathized with the myriad of women who probably thought, as they finally succumbed to sleep in the devilishly captivating billionaire's arms after a night of wild sex, that they were _the one_ Tony, _genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist,_ Stark would finally settle down with; but alas, being Tony's personal assistance for years now, along with the tiresome routine of throwing them out due to Tony's cowardice in confronting them in the morning and rejecting them, made Pepper Potts immune to their plight, after all, they should have known better _before_ they agreed to return home with the notorious playboy.

Repressing the urge to roll her eyes and massage her temples in exasperation, Pepper flashed the redhead another bland smile and hurled a plain woman's coat usually left in the coatroom for the purpose of covering the many bimbos' ripped ensembles before they journeyed through the walk of shame. "Here, you can cover yourself with this coat. Mr. Stark's personal driver, Happy is outside waiting to drop you off at your destination. Have a good day." Thankfully, the redhead had two neurons to rub together and didn't make a fight, like most of the other sexscapades who planted themselves firmly in denial and began proclaiming in hysterical tones that Tony loved them and promised a future, and thereby, leaving it up to security to wrestle them out the door.

After a moment of standing in Tony's room, the British accent of Tony's A.I., Jarvis, permeated around the room, "She has left with Happy Ms. Potts."

"Thank you, Jarvis. Where is Mr. Stark?"

"Master Stark is in his workshop. Shall I call him?"

Ten minutes later, a sheepish Tony Stark grinned at his personal assistance who wouldn't stop glaring daggers into his brain, but the genius didn't try defending himself or spewing out lame excuses; the daily routine had already been established between them years ago, and he always made sure to give Pepper a hefty bonus every month with her paycheck. The morning was spent with Pepper handing over documents to the billionaire, where after he meticulously read through them, he would either sign them or toss them. However, on this particular day, an uninvited guest was announced by Jarvis, prompting confused looks from Tony and Pepper.

The intruder had an impassive face, light brown hair that was fully-shaven and was donned in a professional suit, his stance screaming practicality and solemnity. Removing his black tinted shades, Tony was honestly surprised by the warm brown eyes staring back at him, especially since they controverted deeply with his 'don't bullshit me' persona. "Mr. Stark, I apologize for showing up without an appointment, and to your mansion instead of Stark Industries, however, a personal matter of importance must be discussed between us where we could not be overhead. I'm Agent Phil Coulson, with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."

Raising an eyebrow, Tony took the offered card from the Agent, and quipped, "That's quite a mouthful." The Agent sighed wearily, "I know. We're working on it." giving Tony an impression that he heard that statement a lot. Placing the card on the table, Tony leaned against the island nonchalantly with his arms crossed and scrutinized the agent suspiciously while Pepper tentatively addressed him; "You know, we've been approached already by the DOD, the FBI, the CIA…" she trailed off uncertainly.

Phil smiled, the first genuine smile since barging into Tony's Malibu Mansion unannounced, "We're more of a separate division with a more _specific_ _focus_ ," he explained, and Tony's astute acuity didn't fail to notice that despite the Agent's emotionless visage, his fingers would twitch in resemblance to a worried tick, "Why are you here, Agent?"

"I need to debrief you on a matter of great importance, Mr. Stark," Phil uncomfortably placed his twitching hands in his pocket, giving Tony an ominous feeling as he gestured the Agent toward the sitting room. "Mr. Stark, have you heard about Shadow Swan?"

"Shadow Swan, Shadow Swan, Shadow Swan," Tony muttered repeatedly under his breath, his eidetic memory went into overdrive before he finally snapped his fingers in remembrance, "Sure I have. There isn't much about this person, no gender, no name but the plastered moniker. Lethal assassin shocking the nation for nearly four, five years now, and hasn't been caught, not even a whiff. What's this got to do with me?" Pepper too, was as confused as Tony, her brows furrowing together in thought.

Phil grimaced; before answering the enquiry, the impassive Agent opened his suitcase and disclosed a thick folder, "Personally, Mr. Stark, nothing. However, career-wise has yet to be seen. We have received intelligence that, and this is mostly hypothetically Mr. Stark, Shadow Swan may be looking into buying weapons from you. I am here to plead my case in regards to S.H.I.E.L.D. that you do _not_ sell to her."

"I'm sorry, _her_? So this Shadow Swan is female," Tony interjected, accepting the handed portfolio from the Agent. Phil merely nodded and patiently waited for Tony to skim through Shadow Swan's list of horrific and gruesome felonies S.H.I.E.L.D. managed to collect throughout the years of their investigation. A loud whistle escaped Tony's full lips, and his sun-kissed complexion turned ashen gray, his usually warm chocolate orbs that twinkled with mirth dulled completely as his mien twisted to one of utter revulsion. Pepper watched in awe as the usually laidback Tony Stark who barely took _anything_ seriously, hurled the portfolio far away from him and clenched his eyes shut as though wishing the intelligence he received would dissipate from his memory; unfortunately, due to his eidetic memory, all the disturbing, violent carnages Shadow Swan generated were engrained, never to be erased from mind.

"Not to be sexist or anything. I'm a guy who holds great respect to women, and I _do_ believe that a woman _can_ do what a man can, but… that's, that's-, a _woman_ did all that? A… as in only _one_?!" Tony snapped in disgust, staring at the file as though it would sprout legs and suddenly devour him brutally. Pepper decided she was better off not knowing if this Shadow Swan managed to instill fear in the arrogant Tony Stark. A bitter smile etched itself onto Agent Phil's visage and he shook his head in negative, "Not just a woman, Mr. Stark. Shadow Swan is a kid."

"WHAT?!" Tony made a beeline toward his convenient bar, filled himself a hearty glass of bourbon and knocked it back in one gulp before returning his full attention to the Agent. "Two of our Agents managed to receive full visual of the assassin Shadow Swan, and from our estimation, the kid was not even a teenager. But then again, she's cunning, very tricky. She appeared to two of our best Agents on purpose, she _wanted_ to be found. She's always ten steps ahead of us, and everything she does, she does it for a _reason,_ which is why my boss had me come to you," Phil explained grimly.

Phil Coulson had been unfortunate enough to see many gruesome things with his choice of career, but nothing… _nothing_ could be compared to the machinations of the child. Even Natasha before joining S.H.I.E.L.D. never stooped as low as Shadow Swan and she'd been an assassin decades longer. Naturally, the Red Room could morph an angel into a killer so deftly. Since Agent Romanoff's stay at the Red Room and after Agent Barton managed to indoctrinate her into switching sides, they left the conundrum of the Red Room on the back burner, but since their spy informed them of Odette Potter's random induction at the age of four, S.H.I.E.L.D. began brainstorming ways of ending the Red Room's reign, along with eliminating Shadow Swan.

With an audible gulp, Tony hastily nodded, "Don't worry; the last thing I want to do is sell weapons to that deranged child."

Phil's entire countenance changed into palpable relief, "Just in case, Shadow Swan's real name is Odette Potter. Her distinguished features are ruby red hair and emerald green eyes. That's all we got." The information would barely aid them, for Shadow Swan was elusive, and hard to pin down, and she was known for going by many different names and disguises. Currently, Phil Coulson was tasked by Director Fury to locate every single Potter in the globe, before narrowing it down to an Odette Potter; nearly a year had gone by, and Agent Coulson hadn't struck gold yet.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

Albus Dumbledore was not a happy camper. _Years_ of scheming and plotting and he had hit a stalemate all because of one slip of a girl, an _eleven-year-old_! With him being heralded as the most powerful wizard in a century, attaining the esteemed position as Headmaster in the prestigious school where he could mold children from a young and fragile age into becoming his pawns, and with his many venerable titles, Albus Dumbledore believed he had finally achieved greatness, and nobody, _nobody_ could relinquish his title as the Leader of the Light. And then, one night, eleven years ago, everything changed due to that decrepit batty seer's untimely prophecy claiming that a child shall be born, and that certain child shall be the Wizarding World's hope, a title that would be _easily_ taken from him all because of an insipid child's birth, one whose only feat was being born, unlike him who had worked tirelessly to arrive at where he currently was.

His sharp mind quickly processed the prophecy uttered, and in a sheer minute, he cooked up a new scheme, one that would reach fruition with him once again being celebrated as the Wizarding World's savior. Naturally, he knew Severus Snape overheard the _entire_ prophecy, and so, after dismissing Sibyll, he planted a fake memory of kicking Snape out of Hogshead into his Aberforth's mind, and swiftly caught up with the novice Death Eater and obliviated the other half of the prophecy, banishing it completely from memory and ordering him to immediately relay his discovery to Tom.

For once, Albus was excited. He felt a thrill at there being a new playing field, and he began dreaming of the day where he would be heralded as not only the Defeater of Grindelwald, but Voldemort too, and for that reason, he was in dire need of a spy, and who better than Severus Snape, a skilled Occlumens and a prodigy potion-maker. Peter Pettigrew was a sad excuse of a spy, and Albus could not trust him not to rat him out – pun intended. No, Snape was the best choice, especially since his beloved Lily's life was in danger due to him overhearing Sibyll's prophecy. Of course, Albus knew the Potters' spawn would be chosen by Tom due to their similarities in being a Half-Blood, but upon the twin's birth, a problem struck with the enchanting day-old girl who so happened to be the first female Potter in existence.

When newborn Odette began bawling her lungs out at the mere presence of Pettigrew, his suspicions of her being the prophecy child cemented, and with trepidation he cradled her in his arms, only to seethe inwardly when she bawled loudly at his presence, too. The child was astute and she had barely been out of her mother's womb. He was stupefied however when the clever child who had been able to sense his manipulative aura and the rat's traitorous one, had barely any magical energy, too low for a child born into the powerful family of the Potters. The dilemma remained, Odette was a quiet child, who never cried, _except_ when in the presence of him and Pettigrew, and even after he claimed her to be a Squib that Halloween night, the girl avoided him completely, disturbed by his presence – a remarkable feat for a Squib.

Albus' machination was simple, with little to lose, and too much to gain; train the prophecy child to be a scapegoat, and once Voldemort killed him, he would swoop in with the final blow thereby ending the Dark Lord Voldemort's reign of terror. Of course, they would all mourn the courageous Boy-Who-Lived, but in the end, _he_ , Albus Dumbledore, would be celebrated, and with the fool Flammel's trusting nature, with the Sorcerer's Stone in his possession, he would remain an _immortal_ hero. Detecting the welcome surprise of Voldemort's unintended Horcrux embedded in young Charlus was merely the icing on the cake; now, Charlus Potter's death was inevitable, and all he had to do, was remain in the sidelines and watch it happen… _for the greater good._

Sirius and his harlot of a wife, Angelica, proved to be loose cannons. The Warren Family distrusted him ever since Lord Liam Warren became the American Representative to the ICW, and with Sirius marrying into the Warren Line, Albus lost one of his staunchest supporters. Luckily, Sirius Black deplored the treatment of his precious goddaughter, and quarantined himself in the Ministry or in America, allowing him leeway to mold James, Lily and Charlus Potter. And then, the brat received her Hogwarts letter and ruined everything! James Potter no longer trusted him without a doubt; and why would he? After all, he was the person to inform the Potters that their daughter was a Squib, only to end up a witch ten years later!

But never mind; Albus was adaptable whenever his plans hit a snag, and so, he decided Odette would be better off shadowing Charlus around Hogwarts with his sidekick Ronald Weasley… and then she got sorted into Slytherin. Changing his scheme yet again, Albus presumed Odette would be a wonderful spy in Slytherin, until he witnessed the determination and utter malice in her eyes whenever their eyes met, prompting him to increase the potion dosage on the offered lemon drops. The blasted loyalty and compulsion potion blended with a light drop of a weak truth serum into his lemon drops still brought him fruitless results. Odette Potter seemed to be immune to his compulsion potions, and he now reached an impasse.

To make matters worse, a distressed and revolted James and Lily informed him that Odette spent Christmas Eve at the Malfoys. _The Malfoys!_ He knew that the Lestrange Family and the Zabini Family would be congregated at Malfoy Manor as well since they're all related by marriage. Albus would have been ecstatic with the prospect of having a spy entrenched with the group of Voldemort's most loyal, fearsome and ruthless Death Eaters who managed to gain their utmost trust. Unfortunately, the girl proved to be unmalleable.

 _The brat had to go._

Sensing the girl's arrival, he morphed his face back into its regular grandfatherly visage, and smiled benignly before calling out, "Enter, Ms. Potter." And there she was; the blasted, rebellious brat glaring at him apathetically, "You called, _Headmaster_."

 _Ten Hours Ago:_

A flash of black fire in a humanoid form appeared in a dark room where only a long-length mirror stood in the middle. "Thank you, Divus," Odette smiled at her trusty familiar as she approached the Mirror of Erised she overheard her blithering idiot of a twin crowing about to his sidekick, Ron and the bushy-haired beaver, Hermione. Looking into the mirror, a sinister smile grew on her gorgeous, cherubic mien as a result of what she had seen.

The death of the Petrovich brothers, and Ivan Vanko at her hands; them screaming in agony as their bodies deteriorated; her liquefying their organs, melting the skin off their bones, carving out their eyeballs and then their tongues, before disintegrating their bones, leaving behind nothing but a pile of ash, the metallic smell of blood, and the smell of charred skin. Or, maybe she would chop out each of their ten fingers and ten toes, let them decompose, then take the bones and make a finger bone necklace out of it. _Ah, many possibilities._

"What a delightful mirror," Odette smirked to herself. _Oh, how she could barely wait for her desire to become reality. To have her revenge!_

"You know. Talking to yourself is considered to be one of the first signs of madness," the rich silky tone of Loki's voice boomed from behind her, "But then again, when you consider those gore images you conjured up, I reassess." Odette whipped around and beamed at the sight of Loki, "I achieved madness years ago, Loki. _They_ ," she spat with deep malice, "Made sure of it. Besides, talking to yourself is a sign of imminent genius, _not_ madness per say."

Chuckling, Loki ruffled her hair fondly and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead making sure to keep his orbs averted from the dratted mirror; he already knew what his greatest desire was; the All-Father accepting him for who he was, and showing the same care and compassion and favoritism he bestowed to Thor. The sound of Odette's voice snapped him from his wishful thinking, "How are you here, Loki?"

"Grænn gimsteinn minn, _I am a God_ , these asinine wards spelled by mortals cannot keep _me_ out. You should know this by now."

"Yeah, yeah, cool it down with the God complex would ya. I can barely breathe with your massive ego in the room," Odette jested cheekily, prompting a fond smile from Loki. "No, but seriously, what are you doing here? I already visited you yesterday."

"I have come forth to your aid, Grænn gimsteinn minn. I vowed to help you, and I would never purposely break my oath regarding you. Put me to use," Loki smirked; the thought of those two working together would give Lexi a conniption fit, but what she doesn't know, wouldn't hurt her, and Odette was planning on relaying her scheme to the blonde vamp _after_. Odette narrowed her eyes at the mirror, ignoring the delightful images it was conjuring of the endless possibilities of killing the Petrovich brothers and Vanko as she concentrated on her mission, "Fawkes informed me that the Stone in the Mirror is real and that Dumbledore plans on keeping it for himself once Quirrellmort fails in his little act of larceny. He elaborated this whole maze of horrors for my insipid brother and his kowtowing sidekicks for some ulterior motive; probably to get Charlus to battle Voldemort and herald him a hero again. I believe the esteemed alchemist should know of Dumbledore's betrayal, don't you think?" Loki grinned like a Cheshire cat in response to the sly look on his Grænn gimsteinn's mien.

Together, with Loki's unique brand of magic and Odette's astute mind, they broke into Dumbledore's intricate charms and claimed the Sorcerer's Stone. While Loki unraveled the Alarm-Ward placed by Dumbledore to inform him when somebody received the Stone, Odette tediously conjured an exact replica of the Stone, and intricately spelled a strong Discombobulating Charm Frigga taught her for this specific purpose; meant to trick even the most proficient wizards. After two hours, Odette sprawled onto the ground, inhaling and exhaling deeply due to the tiring spellwork.

"Well?" Loki simply inquired from where he had been leaning against the wall for the better part of an hour after successfully unraveling Dumbledore's ward. Leaning her weight onto one elbow, Odette wearily gave him a thumbs-up gesture with her hand, "Success! Dumbledore and Voldemort would be tricked by the Stone for at least an hour until they realize it's a fake. Remind me to thank your mother for her brilliancy."

In mock-offense, Loki huffed, "I would have trained you in casting that spell if you asked."

"I know. I wanted to spend some quality time with Frigga. You already have me most of the time. Sharing is caring, ya know," Odette smirked; only around Loki, Lexi, Lee and Bree, could Odette let down her emotionless, hardcore mask and allow herself to jest good-naturedly. Muttering under his breath, he waved his hands in complicated circles, entangling the Alarm-Ward once again so that the old fart wouldn't get suspicious, "We Gods are selfish beings, Odette Arielle. I hate sharing."

"Whatever," Odette huffed, grabbing Loki's hand. He teleported her back to Asgard where they began planning the next part of their scheme since Odette was to meet Dumbledore in a few hours. Seven hours later, she found herself sitting in the chair opposite to the old goat with her barriers firmly in place and ignoring the annoying twinkle in his blasted eyes.

"Lemon Drop?" he offered with a benign smile.

 _Like I would eat your damn laced sweets, you old goat_.

Odette gave him a saccharine smile making sure to radiate the right amount of hatred, "No thank you. Why did you ask for me, Headmaster?" She tired of the entire act and wanted to oust the old manipulator once and for all. He let out a deep sigh that oozed insincerity, interlocked his fingers and held eye-contact, "Ms. Potter, your family means a lot to me, and when James and Lily came to be, distressed over your behavior during Yule, I thought it was best if you and I had some words. Your parents _love_ _you_ , Odette."

Snarling with rage, Odette dropped all pretenses and slammed her tiny hand on the table receiving a cacophony of shocked sounds from the portraits of the previous Headmasters and Headmistresses, "I don't recall me giving you permission to call me by my name, and STOP trying to read my mind! Cut the fake niceties crap, Dumbledore, I _know what you did_ ," and she reveled in the flicker of fear that appeared for a mere second in those manipulative blue orbs, "If a witch or wizard doesn't do accidental magic _at least_ by the age of four, then there is a probability of the child being a squib; yet at 18 months, on that Halloween night, _you_ declared me a Squib. Oh how the mighty Dumbledore have fallen just by that one gross error in judgment. Not so much of a Squib, am I?!" she retorted scathingly.

"How do you-"

"Know?" Odette raised a cynical crimson brow before letting out an evil cackle worthy of Bellatrix Lestrange during her deranged days as a Death Eater, eliciting shivers down Dumbledore's spine. "I. Remember. Everything. _Everything,_ " she enunciated clearly, "I remember crying when that traitorous rat held me, and when you, you old goat, did too. I remember your myriad of visits when you constantly checked my magical core, and I remember _every_ _second_ of Voldemort's arrival at Godric's Hollow. I. Remember. Everything," she repeated once more for the added impact.

Despite the sliver of fear in result of Odette's announcement, Dumbledore couldn't repress his famous curiosity, "What happened when Voldemort cast the Killing Curse in the nursery?" Odette watched as the old goat tucked a weathered hand into his pocket and popping one of his lemon drops from his secret stash into his mouth with utmost glee. Leaning forward, she whispered in a biting tone, "Now _that_ would be telling, wouldn't it, _Headmaster_? Besides you're the ubiquitous wizard, you're already so sure of what happened… why ask me?!"

But Dumbledore was given no chance to retort with a well-crafted response as his eyes rolled into the back of his head which drooped down face-first into his desk with a loud thud. Odette didn't dare move an inch until the old goat's snores permeated the room a minute later, and she jumped out of her seat with a sinister grin, "Perfect! Thanks Fawkes!" For it was Fawkes who stole one of the lemon drops from his secret stash, allowing her to lace it with a potent Old-Norse Sleeping Spell and sneak it back into his pocket.

 _Your welcome my Queen_ , Fawkes trilled in her head. The portraits began yelling at the top of their lungs, each one of them glaring at her in disdain, disapproval and disbelief. Odette whipped out her wand, and a loud firework emanated from the tip of her wand, quieting them all down. "Listen up!" she shouted, her emerald orbs flickering to each and every one of them, "I, Lady Odette Arielle Potter-Slytherin-Ravenclaw-Peverell-Le Fay-Emrys _order you_ to keep my secrets! As Lady Slytherin, Lady Ravenclaw, and a descendant of Godric Gryffindor, I own most of the school, and you _will_ obey me!" She allowed her Slytherin and Ravenclaw ring to materialize from her finger, prompting awed gasps of reverence from the portraits, and they immediately began chanting praises to her and vowing future silence.

"Loki!" The attractive God materialized into the office, once again setting the portraits into tumultuous uproar of sycophantic fawning at being given the honor to witness a God. "Great, increase his ego why don't you. Ignore them Loki, and get to work."

"Bossy," Loki harrumphed good-naturedly, saluting her in the process. Drowning out the chattering portraits, Odette concentrated on the God of Lies as he placed both hands on the old goat's temples and transported himself into the recess of the manipulator's mind. Sweat beaded down from his forehead after an hour and he grunted, "By the Norns. Even unconscious the old codger has strong barriers."

Odette shrugged, not the least bit surprised, "He is an evil overlord, no shit he'd have powerful barriers." The words barely escaped her lips when Loki's forest-green orbs lit up with knowledge and he released Dumbledore from his spell.

"Found it!"

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

"YOU WHAT?!" Lexi screeched, succeeding in nearly shattering Odette's eardrums, "Did you stop and _think_ what Dumbledore could have done to you if you were caught? Of all the idiotic, hotheaded, asinine things to do, Odette Arielle Potter!"

Burrowing herself deeper into Lee's arms for comfort, Odette rolled her eyes and drawled, "Oh please, Lex. Not to be arrogant or anything, but I'm _Shadow Swan_ , a highly trained assassin with years of experience, not to forget I was helped by a GOD, the God of _lies, mischief and chaos_ who is a superb sorcerer and has a silver-tongue, I wouldn't have gotten caught!"

"But-but, still, bu-"it was obvious Lexi lost the argument, and so, she slumped into the couch in defeat and weakly said, "You have your end of the year exams next week. You should be studying, not scheming."

Lee and Odette burst out into hysterical laughter, much to Lexi's indignation. "Weak argument, Lexi-Wexi, and you know it. I'm already years ahead in my magical education. I didn't go to Hogwarts to _practice_ magic and you know it.

There was a moment of silence in the room as the disgruntled blonde grumbled to herself. Odette knew the female vampire merely worried about her, for no reason really, but the thought was appreciated all the same. "Now, you gonna help me out or what?"

"What would you have us do?" Lee grinned, excited to be a part of Odette's adventurous schemes.

Beaming, Odette scribbled down a location on a piece of paper and handed out two runic amulets to the two vampires. "When Divus appears to you, she will take you to that location. You each have an amulet that would allow you to permission to enter the protected fortress since there's Anti-Apparition Wards. _Loki's spellwork, he's so brilliant_ ," she mumbled to herself. The clearing of an amused Lexi's throat brought her back to the present, and she sheepishly smiled, "Right. So, when Divus comes, she'll take you there. Kill everyone that stands in your way, get him out of there pronto and take him to Bree for healing and make sure he _remains_ unconscious. I cannot have him figuring me out or our secrets."

Frowning in thought, Lee said, "This sounds like a foolproof plan. You really think it'll work?"

"Oh please," Odette rolled her eyes, "You two are three-century-year-old vampires. You can easily take them."

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

The six Slytherins continuously stared at Odette in suspicion as they completed their final exam; for the past three months, Odette had been disappearing, only to return in the middle of the night, never once getting caught after curfew. As Slytherins, suspiciousness was ingrained into their personalities, along with natural curiosity. Whenever they questioned Odette on her disappearing act, she would give them an icy glare and snap at them to mind their own business, ordaining herself as the Ice Queen of Slytherin.

Odette knew that it was only natural for her frien… _acquaintances_ to be curious about her peculiar disposition throughout the last few months, but Odette was used to working alone, cutting all ties with her surroundings and ebbing from view when she was on a mission or on Shadow Swan duty. A part of her wished she could impart the whole Dumbledore-Scheme to them, but unfortunately, it took a lot for the young assassin to trust others like she wholeheartedly trusted Loki, Lee, Lexi and Bree.

It was nighttime, just after curfew when Fawkes whispered through their mental connection that Charlus and his simpleton sidekicks were on the move toward the third floor corridor under the Invisibility Cloak. Ignoring the calls of her friends and their suspicious glances, Odette shot up from the couch and ran out of the Slytherin Common Room without a backward glance.

"Divus! Fawkes!"

The Daemonion phoenix appeared and bobbed her head in comprehension before letting out a loud trill and flashing out of the castle in black flames. Odette then proceeded to fasten a package around Fawkes' leg, and after stroking her head in mute thanks, the Fire Phoenix flashed out of the castle in red flames.

"Okay. Let's see how my daft twin acts under pressure," Odette mumbled under her breath before shadow-traveling to the Chamber that held the Mirror of Erised under the Trapdoor. She concealed herself under a Silencing Charm and a Disillusionment Charm and watched as Quirrell stared at the Mirror in a trance while he mumbled to himself about achieving the Sorcerer's Stone for his Master and waited for Charlus' arrival.

An hour later, the black flames placed by the entrance of the chamber flickered, and Charlus arrogantly walked through; Odette enjoyed the look of utter shock on his mien, his jaw gaping comically at the sight of Quirrell and _not_ Snape.

" _You!I_ But I thought-, Snape-"

"Ah yes, Severus," Quirrell let out a cold, sharp laugh, forgoing the annoying stuttering that irked her throughout the year, "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor st-stu-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?"

 _I did you little fuck!_

And much to Odette's tangible shock, Charlus defiantly snapped, "My sister did! She-She was, oh god, all along she was right…" Quirrell's cocky smirk disappeared at the mention of her, and he snarled, "Yes, _her_. She was on to me from the very beginning, she thought I didn't know that she joined forces with Snape, but I did."

 _That was the plan you imbecile_ , Odette clenched her fist, still astonished over Charlus' words regarding her. But Quirrell wasn't done with his speech, "You should have listened to her, Potter. Odette Potter is a true Slytherin, uses her mind first and foremost, but it matters not. Once I have the Stone in my possession, I will kill you, and then I will kill her for my Master."

Odette scoffed loudly in derision, glad for the Silencing Charm. Whether Charlus was enraged over the threat to his life or hers, Odette didn't know, nor did she care, the purpose for her keeping vigilant watch and remaining hidden was to keep the damn parasite hanging off the back of Quirrell's head and safely ensconced underneath that revolting, lurid turban, from divulging the fact that _she_ was the Child-Who-Lived and _not him_. It was not the time for the truth to come out, for Odette still had _much_ planned for the foolish British Community and her family.

The minutes ticked by slowly and Odette was getting bored with the inactivity as Quirrell forced Charlus to look into the Mirror of Erised. When her insipid twin foolishly proclaimed that he saw himself winning the House Cup and shaking hands with Dumbledore, Odette desperately wanted to let out a cackle of derisive laughter, but she managed to hold it in as her eyes narrowed in on the new bulge that appeared in his right pocket in the exact shape of the fake Stone, and _finally_ , the familiar cold voice of Voldemort echoed around the room, and she watched in morbid fascination as the turban slowly unraveled, showing the face of the abomination.

"Charlus Potter," Voldemort hissed, and for a second, Odette felt pity for her twin who was currently frozen in an immobile stance with a look of utter terror on his visage. "See what I have become? Mere shadow and vapor … I have form only when I can share another's body … but have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds … no, what I find surprising is that they claim you as the Bo-"he was unable to continue with his diatribe as Odette sent him a Stinging Hex and a yelp emanated from Quirrell's mouth. Charlus took advantage of Voldemort's momentary distraction, and forgetting that he had a wand, the foolish boy pounced onto Quirrell and tried to throttle him.

Deciding to wrap things up, Odette channeled one of the spells Bree educated her in from her family's grimoire and muttered a string of fluent Latin under her breath, burning Quirrell alive. Charlus watched in wide-eyed shock, awe and revulsion as Quirrell screamed in agony, and disintegrated right before his eyes; a wisp of dark vapor that seemed to be screaming in apoplectic rage and pain, escaped the chamber, but not before colliding through Charlus, prompting him to collapse onto the ground.

Before Odette Shadow-Traveled out of the Mirror Chamber, she witnessed Dumbledore levitate an unconscious Charlus into air and pocket the Sorcerer's Stone with an evil gleam of triumph in his eyes.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

Two humanoid figures donned in black hooded cloaks appeared in black flames near the entrance of a grim towering building, decorated in gloomy jet black stone that had a forbidding appearance. Using their uncanny speed, the two figures agilely made their way to the highest tower, thankfully surpassing all the lower guards as they appeared to be nothing but transparent blurs in the dark ambience.

Unfortunately, their good fortune ran out when they halted outside a dark and ominous room that had the slogan: ' _For the Greater Good'_ carved over the prison cell's entrance. Five muscular guards with yellowed teeth, their faces littered with scars, had their wands pointed at them, their cold eyes daring them to take a step further as they barked out vulgar words in rapid Bulgarian.

"Oh for the love of…"Lexi pounced high into the air, the distraction greatly costing three of the five guards as their dumbstruck eyes followed the abnormal occurrence, and Lee took the advantage to swiftly snap two necks consecutively before plunging his hand into the third one's heart. The remaining two guards watched in utter shock and horror as the light left their three comrades' eyes and a heart dropped with a soft plunk onto their feet with incredible nonchalance.

"One would think they would learn from experience," Lexi grinned from behind them, plunging both hands into their backs and consecutively pulling out their hearts, "I mean seriously," she clarified jestingly as they dropped lifelessly face-first onto the ground beside their ripped out organs, "Never keep your eye off thy enemy."

Lee snorted, and despite their current location, pulled Lexi flush against his chest and kissed her passionately, "Lex, you should know by now that Odette is always right. Wizards lack any and all form of common sense. Now, let's get the poor guy out," Lee nudged his head in the direction of the tall, filthy emaciated figure lying on an uncomfortable stone bed that was shivering from under a ragged, thin blanket.

Lexi watched the prisoner in horror, disgusted at his state, " _A thin blanket_! That's all they gave him? How fucking barbaric! LOKI!"

The Asgardian Prince grinned cheekily at his favorite vampires once he materialized in front of them, "What took you lovebirds so long?"

Snorting with humor, Lee clapped the God on the back in a camaraderie fashion, "Lexi was horrified at the poor dude's state." Lexi smacked him atop the head and pushed Loki forward, who upon taking a look at the prisoner's state frowned in appallment as well. The silver-tongue God immediately went to work, using his exceptional brand of magic to unlock the intricate cell open, and finally after ten agonizing minutes, succeeded.

"I'll join you at Bree's Bar. Together with my brand of healing magic, Bree and I will get him back to good form in haste," Loki offered helpfully; the two grateful vampires nodded, grabbed on to the unconscious prisoner and allowed Divus to flame them to Georgia and away from the derelict cell.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

Nicholas and Perenelle Flammel were huddled together by the fireplace, basking in the comforting sounds of crackling and the warm embers in their chateau in France when suddenly a disturbance infiltrated the peaceful ambience and the couple whirled around with impeccable deftness, their wands already whipped out in a defensive stance despite their impressive age.

"Fawkes?" Nicholas frowned in confusion upon seeing the familiar phoenix of his old friend. Although Nicholas and Perenelle were well over the age of six-hundred, they didn't look older than their early thirties. Nicholas with his wavy dirty blonde hair, cerulean eyes and hardened jaw looked devastatingly handsome, while Perenelle had the appearance of a divine beauty with her curly mahogany locks, grey orbs and porcelain white complexion.

"Nick L'amour, were you waiting on a missive from Albus?" Perenelle asked as she crooned over the beautiful phoenix she had grown so fond of. Nicholas shook his head in negative, strongly perplexed by the peculiar event… that was until, he unloaded Fawkes from her burden.

 _Dear Mr. Nicholas Flammel,_

 _This letter may strike you as odd, but I am a friend who means you no harm._

 _Your old friend Albus Dumbledore is not who he appears to be, but a manipulative old goat up to his eyeballs in deceits and trickery to fulfill his evil agenda and you unfortunately got caught in his web. The alleged friend of yours hid the Sorcerer's Stone in the Mirror of Erised with weak defenses hoping that Voldemort would be stopped by Charlus Potter in his path to immortality._

 _Dumbledore planned on keeping the Stone for himself by claiming that its existence was a risk to the Dark Lord. He planned on persuading you to allow him to destroy it and he would give you proof by destroying a fake stone, therefore keeping the Elixir of Life for himself._

 _I managed to prevent the old fool from succeeding and with this letter, return the Sorcerer's Stone to its rightful owner._

 _If you are interested in meeting with me, I will be waiting on the front steps of Gringotts in Liberty Lane, the Wizarding District in New York on the first of July, where I would show you my true identity and confide in you the truth about your supposed old friend, Albus Dumbledore._

 _Many regards,_

 _A friend & hopefully, an ally._

Perenelle let out a guttural gasp as she had been reading the cryptic missive from over Nicholas' shoulder. Nicholas Flammel quickly unfastened the parcel that arrived with the letter and after murmuring a few complex spells under his breath, slumped in relief, "This is the true Sorcerer's Stone, my dear."

"But-, why would Albus betray us?" Perenelle cried out; Nicholas never deemed her enquiry with a response, for he understood the hidden words behind the cryptic message and he would definitely disembark to Liberty Lane on the first of July.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

Three days into Charlus' coma, James and Lily Potter along with Sirius and Angelica Black were congregated in the Headmaster's office, yelling at the top of their lungs about endangering his life and the abysmal protection given to their precious Boy-Who-Lived.

Suddenly, the door was blasted open, and much to the five adults' surprise, an emotionless Odette, her emerald orbs resembling a glacier, was boring a hole into the Headmaster's forehead, and bringing the rear, was Severus Snape, his wand drawn out and looking as menacing as ever; but what had the adults completely astonished, was the fact that the Head of the DMLE, Amelia Bones stood by their side, a look of uncertainty and skepticism on her visage despite her determined stance.

"Amelia, Severus, what is the meaning of this?" Albus spoke benignly, yet there was an undercurrent of steel in his tone at their impolite entrance. Simultaneously, the Potters and the Blacks gasped out, " _Odette_?"

Disregarding them, Odette scathingly snapped, "Cut the crap, _Headmaster_ ," and before any words could be exchanged, she wandlessly disarmed him, the fifteen-inch wand hurling in mid-air from his grasp and firmly in her possession. For some reason, a tingling of darkness and euphoric potency tingled in her veins and she could have sworn the wand was _singing_ merrily, but she batted the oddity away. Shocks permeated the air at her impressive display of wandless and non-verbal magic, but Odette paid them no mind, her emerald orbs locked on to steely blue and she flicked her wand, shouting, " _Incarcerous! Stupefy! Stupefy!_ " In a string of consecutive successful spell-casting, thin black cords erupted from her wand and tied the Headmaster in a tight coil and two red jets of light impacted with his forehead and his torso, simultaneously, rendering the old goat unconscious.

"ODETTE!"

"You attacked Albus Dumbledore, for Merlin's sake!"

"I knew Slytherin would make you evil," James snarled, staring at his daughter in disgust, eliciting gasps from Amelia, Angelica and Sirius. Severus glared with utmost malice at his nemesis and to the audience's shock, placed a comforting arm on an undisturbed Odette's shoulder, "I'll have you know, Potter, your daughter is a beacon of good in this moment, you simple minded fool! You do not deserve to have a smart daughter like Odette, and she is a marvel to my House!"

"James," Amelia snapped in distaste, ashamed of her Auror's behavior in regards to his daughter – his own flesh and blood, "Keep your mouth shut for now, this is a Ministry investigation brought forth by your daughter who managed to piece the puzzle together throughout the years," ignoring the baffled and perplexed looks of the Potters and the Blacks, she smiled supportively at Odette, "Go ahead."

"Professor, do your magic," Odette winked, nearly causing James and Sirius to go into cardiac arrest at the scene of her joking around with Snivellus.

Snape ambled toward the unconscious headmaster and took out a vial of colorless, odorless liquid from his pocket, managing to repress the eye roll at Lily's gasp of, " _That's Veritaserum_!" Odette, on the other hand, held nothing back as she wittily retorted, "No shit, Sherlock!" The Potions Master then supplied five drops into his gaping mouth instead of the allocated three due to Dumbledore being a skilled Occlumens before thrusting a vial of a brown murky liquid into his mouth and he massaged his throat, forcing him to imbibe every single drop.

Right before their very eyes, the immobile form of Dumbledore began quivering sporadically; his wrinkles surmounted in number, burrowing deeper; the impressive long silver hair and beard renowned as Dumbledore's signature style, receded into his skull and lower face, and the circle-shaped face lacked any hair whatsoever. He shrunk in size and bloated in weight, and right before the seven spectators' eyes, Albus Dumbledore withered from view, announcing a complete stranger in his place.

With determination, Odette took a few confident steps toward the stranger, pointed her wand at him, and hissed, " _Rennervate!_ "

Milky blue eyes snapped open and once the stranger recovered from his daze, glared at Odette with narrowed eyes, "What-" he immediately ceased speaking, taking note that his voice lacked the soft husky sound of Dumbledore's and instead was deep and guttural, more hoarse, and finally, recognition flickered in his eyes and he growled, "YOU BITCH!"

"HEY!" James and Sirius yelled, and Odette repressed the eye roll that threatened to reveal itself; _yeah, now you defend me… too little, too late._ Despite Amelia's shocked stance, she managed to stride forward and shackle him with magic-repressor cuffs, "Who are you?"

The stranger struggled with the truth that threatened to burst. Odette noticed that he was actually going so far as to bite off his tongue and placed a well-aimed Stinging Hex on him. "Gellert Grindelwald!" he furiously yelled in defeat, "You wait, Odette Potter, just you wait! I'll fucking kill you!"

"Over my dead body," Sirius hissed, his face paling rapidly at the outrageous discovery.

"How long have you been imitating Albus Dumbledore?" Odette snapped, disregarding the myriad of pallid faces and gaping jaws at his confession. An evil grin etched itself onto his mien showing crooked, yellowing teeth and a few missing ones, " _Eigh_ _teen_ years!"

Gasps permeated the room; the Greatest Leader of the Light, the most powerful wizard in a century had been impersonated by the Dark Lord Grindelwald for eighteen years without their knowledge was earth-shattering news.

"Where is he?" Amelia recovered from her state of numbed shock and regained her professional stance.

"Alive… for now-"

"Oh, he's _very much_ alive," Odette interrupted, diverting all attention onto her, but she never allowed her eyes to disconnect from the soulless milky blues as she spoke, "You see, Fawkes didn't like being bound to an evil Lord, and she came to me with your _personal_ _stash_ of Lemon Drops. I managed to test them during the winter holidays and with the help of Professor Snape, brought forth the real Albus Dumbledore's location for your mind," she knew that Snape would cover up her lie; it wasn't like Odette could mention Loki to them, "Despite my age, I have friends in high places, and three nights ago they broke into Nurmengard and freed him. He's currently healing with the aid of my friend who is a superb healer. You failed Grindelwald!"

"Od-Odette, how, what?" James stammered, rendered speechless at the actions of his daughter; she really was too cunning for her own good, and he cursed himself for treating her dismally. Amelia grinned at her, "I will pretend that I didn't hear you admit to breaking into a fortress. Well done, Miss Potter," she then glared at Grindelwald, "Why did you impersonate Dumbledore?"

And from thereon, the truth that came forth from Grindelwald's mouth shocked them all to the core; he admitted everything… his plan on conquering the world for the 'Greater Good', molding the younger generation at such a malleable age and alienating Slytherins to increase the number of bigoted Purebloods and Death Eaters, and then he confessed his machinations regarding Voldemort … every sliver of information from obliviating the other half of the prophecy from Snape's mind, to his terminating plan of allowing Charlus Potter to walk to his death against Voldemort, therefore allowing him to cast the Killing blow and being heralded the conqueror of Lord Voldemort, easily planting him in a position to take over the world and capturing and exterminating Muggles and Muggleborns.

"It's your entire fault you bitch! I knew I should have killed you the second you began bawling in my arms upon your birth! You always knew my true colors, just like you did Pettigrew! I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do!" Grindelwald screamed in hysterical rage.

James, Lily, Sirius, Angelica, Amelia and Severus shot him a menacing glare, each one of them yelling expletives at him; Odette ignored them and wandlessly cast a Silencing Charm around them before the Veritaserum left his system. Leaning forward and dismissing them, Odette stared into those evil milky orbs and whispered, "Did you have _anything_ to do with my family ignoring me, or hating me and my existence all these years?"

Grindelwald's orbs glimmered with malicious glee and he let loose a string of hair-raising cackles before spitting out in creepy delight, "No. Their actions regarding you were of their own volition."

Odette hated the fact that she allowed herself to assemble even a sliver of hope, but she took the truth with grace and turned her back on the evil overlord. The Potters and the Blacks lost any hope of forgiveness years ago, the truth didn't change anything even though it was a blow to the little lost girl who always wished to be cherished and loved and held in her parents' arms before being ripped apart by Vanko and being transformed into a soulless killing machine by the Petrovich brothers.

The first year definitely ended with a bang, and now, Odette had many plans for the summer, plans that would aid her in her quest for revenge.

 **A/N:** **I hope you all liked this chapter!? Yay? Nay!? XD**

 **Nobody guessed Polyjuice Potion! LOL! Did I surprise you? Here's my plot-twist. (I adore Dumbledore, and the plan had always been from the beginning that Grindelwald was impersonating Dumbledore, so I am truly sorry of none of you are happy with the plot-twist) The story of how Grindelwald managed to escape Nurmengard will be mentioned next chapter.**

 **(1)You think Dumbledore will be a worthy ally to Odette? I have many surprises out there regarding Odette/Dumbledore. (2) I am sorry that I didn't show the Slytherins much, this chapter was about unearthing the truth. (3) Next chapter I will show Odette's friends, uh, acquaintances, more as it will be the summer holidays. (4) Did you like the scene with Tony Stark? I decided to show a scene with him since everybody kept asking when he would make an appearance and I totally adore him! (5) Did you enjoy the Loki/Odette/Bree/Lexi/Lee teaming up together? Team Odette! LOL!**

 **Next chapter; many more surprises to come & we will see how Odette spends her summer; and we'll see how the Potters & the Blacks react around Odette after the discovery of her revealing Grindelwald.**

 **R &R.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Chapter 23:**

 ** _Grindelwald Strikes Again,_**

 ** _By Anita McKlein._**

 _A shocking discovery has come to light two days before the Hogwarts term ended and the children were to depart to London aboard the Hogwarts Express. A student who wishes to remain anonymous, began to suspect the Greatest Wizard of the Century, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Grand Sorcerer, Supreme Mugwump and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, of foul play._

 _Since the student wishes to remain anonymous, backed up by the Head of the Department of Magical Law and Enforcement, Amelia Susan Bones gave me a statement of her actions regarding her peculiar suspicions. Now we all know the quirky Headmaster had a fondness for those Muggle sweets, Lemon Drops; Fawkes, the Headmaster's familiar covertly delivered the student one of the sweets that were oddly hidden from the offered ones remaining on his desk. With the help of Professor Severus Tobias Snape, the Head of Slytherin house and Potions Master at Hogwarts, they discovered the sweet to be heavily laced._

 _Sit tight my readers, for the truth shall devastate you; Albus Dumbledore was not who he was. No… for the Lemon Drop was laced with Polyjuice Potion; quite ingenious since it is commonly known for our venerable Headmaster to absorb those sweets religiously._

 _Who may you ask was the impersonator?_ _ **Gellert Grindelwald**_ _, Ladies and Gentlemen._

 _Amelia Bones immediately bound the evil Dark Lord and questioned him under the heavy effects of veritable Veritaserum, and the ugly truth is that our heralded Headmaster had been impersonated for eighteen years! Eighteen! Grindelwald was instantly whisked off to a holding cell at the Ministry under the vigilant watch of the war veteran and lifetime friend of Albus Dumbledore, Head Auror, Alastor 'Mad Eye' Moody, until a Wizengamot Court had been arranged and justice shall be served._

 _Madam Bones herself, along with a few aurors portkeyed to fortress Nurmengard in Germany and they located next to the alleged Grindelwald's cell, four guards lying dead in the most gruesome of ways. It seems our heralded Leader of the Light and Greatest Wizard of the Century has a guardian angel, for three days after Grindelwald was revealed and captured, he appeared at St. Mungo's, unconscious but healing at a remarkably fast rate for somebody who had been imprisoned in an eighteen year stint in Nurmengard._

 _We at the Daily Prophet wish Albus Dumbledore a speedy recovery, for justice to be served, and for the perpetrators who came up with this dastard scheme to be captured. We are also hoping to unveil the guardian angel who aided in his rescue and we profusely thank the anonymous student for her contribution in aiding the Magical Community and our heralded Leader._

All around the British Magical Community, a drove of owls dispensed the morning edition of the _Daily Prophet_ , impatiently hooting for the customary payment of one Knut before swooping over to the next wizarding household. The main office in Diagon Alley for the wizarding newspaper were under pressure as they were ordered to send the _Daily Prophet_ to those that hadn't queried for a subscription due to their adamant beliefs regarding the Prophet lacking journalistic integrity and factual accuracy.

On July 1st, the entire Wizarding Community was in a state of uproar; the magical households in Britain went through a variety of emotions from every shade of the rainbow; shock, anger, fear, scandalized, horrified, disbelief and many more. The categorically light families demanded retribution and were hard-pressed to floo directly to St. Mungo's to visit their cherished Leader of the Light; the neutral greys were uncertain, and began questioning their previous doubts in regards to their private thoughts of the Chief Warlock; the undeniably dark families however, were at a stalemate and fervently confused over the shocking turn of events, especially since most turned to the Dark Lord because the _alleged_ Headmaster alienated them from their peers during their Hogwarts schooling, marking them all as Junior Death Eaters before their time.

On the outskirts of Ottery St. Catchpole in Devon England, in the magical dwelling dubbed The Burrow, seven occupants with identical flaming red hair were congregated together having their routinely family breakfast. Molly Weasley was ecstatic now that her four sons were back from Hogwarts and was staring fondly at her mischievous twins who reminded her of her dearly deceased younger twin brothers who met their downfall during the First War when suddenly, a sharp intake of breath snapped her from her reverie. In fact, six redheads were studying the Patriarch of their family with weary eyes and concerned brows; the usually jubilant Arthur Weasley adopted a wide-eyed, aghast mien, his knuckles had whitened and shook tremendously, threatening to rip apart the _Daily Prophet_ edition. Wordlessly, he handed over the newspaper to his concerned wife and pandemonium ensued. For the next hour or so, screams reverberated around the dilapidated house that was held together by magic; screams of denial, outrage, worry and fear. Arthur Weasley had to forcibly hold his ferocious wife from flooing to St. Mungo's and even the impish twins adopted a solemn mien, one worthy of their prim and proper older brother, Percy.

Adjacent to The Burrow, in a black-colored cylindrical house on top of a hill taking the peculiar shape of a giant chess rook, an idiosyncratic man who so happened to be the editor of the Quibbler barely reacted upon reading the front page of the _Daily Prophet_. Xenophilius Lovegood merely pursed his lips in thought and smiled oddly at his equally eccentric daughter, "Like I said, Luna. There was a large infestation of Nargles following the imposter around the castle. I always knew there was something odd about him." _Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!_

Meanwhile, in Wiltshire, England, the inhabitants of Malfoy Manor were readying themselves for a delectable buffet laid out by the trusty house-elves. The Lestrange Family and the Zabini Family assembled for a family breakfast with the Malfoys. Just as a barn owl arrived with the _Daily Prophet_ , Kipsy, the Lestrange Head Elf and Boper, the Zabini Head Elf simultaneously popped in with the morning edition before transporting back. Lucius Malfoy had been unfortunate enough to be sipping tea and spat a mouthful of the lukewarm liquid across the front page; Rodolphus Lestrange nearly toppled off his chair and Eduardo Zabini completely missed aiming the spoonful of porridge in his mouth, aiming behind his shoulder instead and splattering on the marbled floor along with the clattering of the spoon. Their respective wives and children gaped at the usually held-together Lords, curious and concerned over their odd behavior.

"Grindelwald Strikes Again?" Bellatrix screeched, sounding much like her previously deranged self before the downfall of her Lord. Pauline Zabini, Narcissa Malfoy and Esmeralda Lestrange clutched their children tightly to their side, unable to imagine that their children had been in close proximity of the second most feared Dark Lord that was until Rabastan pointed out a certain statement they had all blindly forgotten, " _We_ were in close proximity to him! Eighteen years, Dolph! We were all attending Hogwarts in the year 1985!"

"And he started alienating us and treating Slytherins unfairly at that time," Lucius uttered in a hush; the shocking discovery had them all forgetting their children's presence as each of the adults were lost in thought.

In the year 1985, Rodolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix Black, Lucius Malfoy, Eduardo Zabini and Pauline Ravolini returned from the summer for their seventh year at Hogwarts, while Rabastan Lestrange, Esmeralda Zabini and Narcissa Black began their fifth year at Hogwarts; in their previous years, the twinkling-eyed, lemon-drop-sucking Headmaster continuously spouted off numerous speeches at the beginning of the Sorting Feast about House Unity, imploring the four houses to disregard bigotry, make friends with those in the other Houses and always doled out punishment justly when it came to bullying. Though he had his favorites, he never once acted upon them. Until the Sorting Feast of 1985… the routinely speech they all adamantly ignored was strangely absent, the Headmaster started favoring Gryffindors above all, alienating Slytherins and turning a blind-eye on the constant bullying of their peers and pranking of the Marauders.

The Slytherins were cunning and immediately narrowed in on the Headmaster's contradictory behavior, but they merely batted it away as the old fossil finally losing his marbles or in the case of the Dark Families, they started considering the Dark Lord's propaganda regarding the Leader of the Light finally showing his true manipulative colors. _Oh, how wrong they all were!_

Liam Warren, the American Representative to the International Confederation of Wizards was dumbfounded. Despite the fact that he hated the rag the British Wizarding Community called Wizarding Newspaper, as Lord Warren and a prominent member of the ICW, he made it a habit to follow the news regarding every wizarding community to be updated and well-informed at all times. His father, the late Alexander Warren, had a close bond with the Greatest Wizard of the Century, Albus Dumbledore and would constantly regale tales of his old friend; heralding him as one of the best wizards he ever had the opportunity of meeting and befriending. When Liam took the mantle as Lord Warren after his father's death, he immediately arranged for a meeting between him and the legacy his father continuously boasted about; during his father's ailment, he lost all contact with Dumbledore, and four years after his father perished, the meeting occurred. Liam had always been an astute man and recognized the Leader of the Light, his father's close comrade, lost his way and in all actuality, was a manipulative old goat. _How was he to know that his father's closest friend was being impersonated by the evil Dark Lord Grindelwald?_

In Potter Manor, James, Lily, Sirius, Angelica and Remus had assembled in the drawing room unable to convey their thoughts into articulate words. Their mentor, the man they all looked up to – bar Angelica – had been an imposter all this time. Remus began recalling the many Order missions the alleged Dumbledore sent him out to, and he finally comprehended that the reason why they were too dangerous, was because the imposter was hoping him, 'a filthy Dark Creature', would perish. James and Sirius now understood why ever since their fifth year at Hogwarts, the Headmaster abruptly halted berating them for their numerous pranks, choosing to laugh at them and fabricate excuses for their deplorable behavior. Lily acknowledged that the imposter had been anticipating her failed friendship with Severus for some unknown reason. Angelica however, inherited her father's acuity, and there was one thought that plagued her mind, "How did Odette manage to realize Albus was being emulated after one year of schooling, while you all never caught on?" her husband and his friends merely gaped at her, their heads shaking in synchronization, but Angelica was on a roll, her cornflower blue orbs burning into James and Lily, the failed parents of her favorite niece, "And while we're on the subject of Odette, how in Merlin's saggy balls did she free Albus from _Nurmengard_?!"

Floundering for some sort of response, James stammered, "I-I-I, I don't know."

"You _don't know_?" Angelica mimicked him _,_ her blonde brows nearly disappearing into her hairline, "She's your daughter, James! For ten years you've been ignoring the very soil she walks on! Now it has come to bite you in the ass! You and Lily are completely oblivious when it comes to anything remotely about Odette! Let me tell you what I managed to find out about her through word-of-mouth; she formulated an amicable bond with your most hated rival, Severus, she apparently has friends in high places since they managed to rescue Albus from a magically protected and impossible to penetrate fortress, Nurmengard, IN. GERMANY! She is a phenomenal prodigy for a girl that had been assumed to be a Squib. She worked alongside Severus to discover Albus' odd behavior. When she was barely out of your womb, she uncannily knew that Albus and Pettigrew were evil. What? You have NOTHNG to say? Or are you just going to stare at me with your jaws hitting the ground like utter morons!?"

"I-I, we-, we don't know," James stammered yet again, unable to even think eloquently.

Suffice to say, Angelica Warren-Black was _not_ happy, and the remaining four were adamant in receiving answers to the conundrum that was Odette Arielle Potter.

At St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Healer Richard Welphs was updating Madam Bones on the _actual_ Albus Dumbledore's health. For a man well over his hundredth birthday that spent eighteen years in a highly guarded cell in Nurmengard, under horrid weather conditions and offered barely edible nourishments, he was healing splendidly. The wizened man's pallid and ashen face was beginning to radiate with a healthy glow; his muscles and joints were able to be restored to its previous state allowing him to be mobile; also, he was losing his emaciated figure and recovering phenomenally.

"I'm telling you, Madam Bones, whoever healed Mr. Dumbledore before transporting him to St. Mungo's is a godsend. I'd be fighting tooth and nail to get that Healer on our team; he or she did miracles. Albus Dumbledore looks like an old man recovering from the flu!" Healer Whelphs rambled in shocked astonishment.

Looking at the fully-recovered Leader of the Light, Amelia pondered over whether or not she should assemble a meeting with the enigmatic Odette Potter, who for an eleven-year-old girl seemed to know more than she should and apparently had strong connections with the outside world.

In a quaint neighborhood situated in Berlin, Germany, Adolf Müller was pacing frantically around his bedroom, muttering hysterically to himself while tugging on his wavy straw-colored hair. He had failed in his mission, and he feared the wrath of his girlfriend when she finally discovered that Dumbledore escaped after five years of meticulous planning and eighteen years of triumph.

Adolph was appointed with one job, _one job_ and he had failed _abysmally_! Guard the heralded wizard's cell on rotation, and every hour on the dot, ensure the dosage of Polyjuice Potion. Night watch, he was free from his duty, and his four comrades were given charge of watching the highly guarded cell. In eighteen years of the religious routine, only two guards discovered the truth and were swiftly dealt with by him. On the night of Dumbledore's escape, the alarm signaling a break-in that he himself had installed due to his affinity in warding, rang in his loft, but by the time he portkeyed to Nurmengard, Hans, Ahlf, Aldrik and Dirk were dead, their hearts laying by their feet and their neck snapped. Adolph was left with only one solution, _he ran_.

The gig had come to a failed fruition; there would be no war where Grindelwald turned out the victor, and it was only a matter of time before his beloved Tima arrived at his loft to swoop down on him like an incensed inferno for failing in his entrusted duty. He did not know if he would prefer to have his heart ripped out by the unknown brutal assailant like his four partners in crime, or face Tima's legendary temper.

Coinciding with the Wizarding population's reactions, the Professors at Hogwarts were in chaotic turbulence; either they were weeping for the years of suffering Albus went through, or berating themselves for not noticing the sudden change in their heralded Headmaster; they could barely prepare for the next year of schooling. Muggleborns needed to be informed of the magical society and escorted to Diagon Alley by the end of the month, and yet, none of them could move past their office, all of them subdued with worry over Albus' condition and guilt over their naivety. Of course, they had all been confided in the identity of the anonymous student and they felt shame engulf them. _A mere first year managed to expose the imposter while they who worked alongside Albus for decades were totally oblivious!_

But not all of the Professors were plagued with guilt and shame.

 _No_.

One Professor was about to self-combust with violent anger as she ripped apart the offending _Daily Prophet_ into multiple little pieces and set them aflame with a non-verbal _Incendio_. _Adolph would rue the day he became complacent and failed her!_ All her plans, all these painstaking _years_ of fastidious scheming came to an abrupt end, all because of that bitch spawn of Potter's! After she deals with her failure of a boyfriend Müller, Odette Potter will cease to exist for disrupting her plans in world domination alongside Gellert!

This woman was fierce and quick to anger, her temper was known as terrifying and entirely unpredictable and her uttered words could be deeply damaging when she wanted them to be. _Why_? Because she had almost _no need for people_ , and had no trouble hurting those that disappointed her.

There would be a trial by the Wizengamot where they would obviously question Gellert under the effects of Veritaserum, and he would have no free-will with his answers. They would all discover her to be the brains behind the entire operation, the person who meticulously planned his freedom and ingeniously captured the old fossil and made the switch. Those vultures would report her name, plastering it in the front page of the _Daily Prophet_ and the Aurors would swoop down on her. _Oh no_ , she had no desire to spend a lifetime locked up in Azkaban or Nurmengard. _No_ ; she would escape before the trial and hide in Germany with that fool Müller and once the wizarding world became complacent, she would free Gellert once again and release the hounds in the Wizarding and the Muggle Community and finally achieve her plans for world domination.

Packing her bags in haste, she shrunk them to fit inside her pocket and be conspicuous, not wanting to draw attention or suspicion regarding her sudden leave. Smiling at her gullible co-workers, she finally crossed Hogwarts' wards and apparated away.

 _Odette Potter would rue the day she ruined her complot!_

"Adolph Müller! You have failed me, Lieber Freund!" she sneered, pointing her wand at the despicable weakling in front of her. Raising his hands in the air in a placating manner, Adolph whimpered, "Tima, Meine Geliebte, plea-"

" _CRUCIO!_ "

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

Nicholas Flamel warily approached the Roman white marble steps of the Gringotts branch in Liberty Lane, his cerulean orbs scrutinizing the plethora of wizarding folk surrounding him as he searched for the one who saved his Stone and sent him the surprising missive with Fawkes. Of course, he knew the person meant no harm otherwise Fawkes wouldn't have aided the aforementioned, however, to one that lived a long life like he, one learned to practice caution and remain vigilant.

"Excuse me?" Turning around, wary cerulean orbs sparkled slightly at the cherubic beauty in front of him, unable to be brusque with a young girl who looked no older than fourteen. She had long, curly red hair the color of pure rubies, an ivory complexion that seemed to be slightly sun-kissed, a straight-sloped petite nose, pouty petal-shaped pink lips, high cheekbones and a heart-shaped face; but what drew his attention the most, was her expressive emerald orbs, for a young girl, they radiated death and agony, haunted by ghosts and horror no child should ever know.

"Yes?"

An amused smile appeared on her divine mien, "Lord Flamel. I am the person you seem to be wary of. We corresponded by Fawkes." Odette couldn't help but smile at the dumbfounded expression on the nearly seven-hundred-year-old alchemist's face; however, if she were to be completely honest with herself, when Divus informed her through their familiar link that the roguishly young and handsome lithe man with cerulean orbs was _the_ famed alchemist, she was in a state of disbelief since she expected a withering old man resembling Dumbledore.

"But you're a child," Nicholas gasped, and despite his words, Odette detected no offense, merely astonishment and a slight amount of denial. Melodious giggles escaped from those angelic lips that now seemed to be more devious and she retorted, "And you're very young for one nearing his seven-hundredth birthday. So I guess we both failed in our expectations."

Blinking once, twice, thrice, Nicholas finally let his head fall backwards and guffawed jovially. Once he ceased with his laughter, his cerulean orbs gleamed with mirth and delight, "Touché. May I enquire a name to fit your face, or shall I constantly call you child?"

Extending a hand of courtesy, Odette abandoned her hostile demeanor in the face of the celebrated alchemist and smiled genially, "Odette Arielle Potter, at your service, Lord Flamel, though I do hope this remains confidential." Nicholas recognized it more to be a polite demand than an imploring question and he nodded in acquiescence, the corner of his eyes crinkling with a smile, "Just Nicholas, Odette. I don't want to hear all this Lord Flamel nonsense; it makes me feel old." He successfully – and to Odette's tumultuous shock – brought forth genuine laughter from her. A few individuals of the Wizarding World were really testing what The Red Room indoctrinated her into being; who knew that a certain few could shed the assassin's cold and emotionless skin and bring forth the abandoned four-year-old who merely wished to be loved.

The odd pair, under Nicholas' stubborn cajoling, picked a private table in the five-star French restaurant, Merlin Meilleur and after surprising the prestigious alchemist with her fluent French as she ordered her meal, entertained each other with small talk. After all, how many people could actually say that they had the honor of lunching with Nicholas Flamel? The two intellectual minds argued amicably about theories of magic and spells and runes, and finally, Odette confided in him the happenings of her first year at Hogwarts, adding emphasis on the _failed_ protections of his life work.

"Three first years managed to pass through Albus' magical protections with ease? _Merde sur lui_ ," he cussed, forgetting for a moment that the eleven-year-old, and yes, he was shocked upon discovering her actual age, could understand him perfectly. Odette giggled, an action so unlike the cold assassin, and parotted, "Yes, shit on him."

Squirming sheepishly, Nicholas muttered, "If my Nelly was here, she would crucify me for cussing in front of a young girl. I apologize, it's just, I cannot comprehend why my old friend, my devoted student, would betray me in such a despicable way. Why, he only needs ask and I shall gladly share a few drops of the Elixir with him."

Placing her cutlery on her plate, Odette cocked her head to the side, "Do you not have a subscription to the _Daily Prophet_?"

"Bahh! That old rag? It's a joke of journalism, why would I waste my time reading that hogwash?"

The only response Odette deemed him with after his, _honestly – perfectly correct justification_ , was to wandlessly enlarge the copy of the newspaper that shook the entire wizarding nation that very morning and hand it over. A myriad of emotions passed through Nicholas Flamel's handsome visage before they finally settled on concern for his old friend's predicament, " _Merde!_ "

Suffice to say, their luncheon came to an abrupt end. Nicholas was adamant in collecting Perenelle and visiting Albus at St. Mungo's, but what palpably shocked Odette Potter was when the noted alchemist offered her his tutelage in Alchemy, an offer she promptly accepted before he disappeared in a flurry of robes. Over the moon with Nicholas Flamel being her mentor, a prestigious offer any witch or wizard would give up their wand arm for, Odette failed to notice a body bump into her until the impact and a modulated voice simultaneously spoke up, "Sorry, miss. You alright?"

Later on, in the confines of her bedroom, Odette would harshly berate herself for letting her guard down and acting like a foolish simpleton for gasping out loud and uttering, " _Sirius_?!" The Sirius lookalike nearly dropped his shopping bags at her inquiry and sharp astute _turquoise_ orbs scrutinized her warily and with no amount of suspicion. Mentally facepalming herself for her colossal faux pas, Odette adopted her emotionless Shadow Swan mask; this stranger was obviously not her so-called godfather, despite their nearly identical appearance, this man lacked the expressive stormy gray orbs and jovial demeanor. "Pardon me, I thought you were somebody else." Turning to leave, a hand shot out in front of her face and the man asked, "Where are your parents?"

Odette recognized the undercurrent suspicion in his question, and she fathomed this man was probably related to Sirius Black and not in good terms. Before she could retort a crisp answer, the familiar silky voice of Loki resounded from behind her, "There you are Grænn gimsteinn minn." Loki smiled at the Sirius lookalike, his forest green orbs shining with mirth, "I do apologize for my _daughter_ if she insulted you. Children these days, they are allergic to abiding by the rules."

"No, it's-it's uh, it's alright. I just thought she was lost. Goodbye," the man was only too glad to add a large distance between them, though he continuously turned around to scrutinize Odette with palpable suspicion before disappearing around the corner. Wrinkling her nose in disgust, Odette raised a crimson eyebrow at the God of Lies and Mischief, "Daughter? _Really_?!"

"Oh hush you. I saved your behind. That man is obviously in relation to your _godfather_ ," and here, Loki couldn't help but sneer Sirius' title in distaste before he gazed proudly at the chastised assassin, "So, I here congratulations are in order, Grænn gimsteinn minn. Nicholas Flamel will be mentoring you from hereon now." Odette raised her arms up to the heavens, "Peeping Tom! I hate it when you stalk me, Stalker-God!"

Loki flicked her nose playfully, "It's called _looking out for you_. Really, Odette Arielle. Now, the reason why I appeared to you is because Heimdall informed me that Amelia Bones wants the name of the 'Healer' that cured Albus Dumbledore. His recovery is listed as a miracle and they are all baffled since his health is even better than before his stint at Nurmengard," he smirked arrogantly causing Odette to roll her eyes.

"Jeez, you Gods really are egotistical prats, tone it down a bit would ya, Bree contributed in Dumbles' recovery too," Odette pointedly informed him, "Besides, Bones is wasting her precious time. I won't be disclosing any names, so she might as well spend her time doing something of good use to mockery that is Magical Britain, they're all in uproar."

It wasn't like Odette could simply tell Bones that a Servant of Nature – witches they have no inkling of, and a Norse God – the Asgardian Prince Loki in particular, spent two entire days healing the unconscious Greatest Wizard of the Century with unknown spells aided by Nature and the spirits of dead witches, and sorcery and potions meant for and created by mythological Gods, now could she? Asgardian Healing was superior to the limitations of mortal wizarding healing; the major reason _why_ Loki aided in healing Dumbledore, was because the All-Father was extremely fond of and respected the Leader of the Light and wished his son to aid in his speedy recovery.

Loki rolled his eyes in amusement, "You've been hanging around Gods ever since you were the age of four, you should be used to our arrogance and superiority complex by now, Grænn gimsteinn minn." They halted by a vacant corner so that Odette could Shadow-Travel without any witnesses; Loki knelt down to be in the same elevation as Odette and placed both hands on her shoulders, proud that she barely flinched at skin contact anymore ever since Lexi stalked her until she finally agreed in befriending her, "I have two messages to divulge before I take my leave. Mother wishes to spend more time with you and teach you a new creation of hers, and Thor wishes to spar with you again," at that, the Silvertongue aggressively rolled his eyes while Odette smirked in amusement, "The other message is from Heimdall ordered by the All-Father; you must visit Ragnok at the earliest convenience. Gringotts takes precedence to anything else, do you comprehend?"

Nodding in confusion, Odette hugged the God of Lies and Shadow-Traveled away.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

Charlus Potter had been reserved ever since his confrontation with Quirrell and woke up after his three day coma in the Hospital Wing. Not only did the arrogant Boy-Who-Lived discover his twin sister was correct in her theory of Snape being innocent, but he awoke to the news of his mentor being the Dark Lord Grindelwald and had been molding him since the age of five to inevitably die at the other end of Voldemort's wand.

Despite the shocking discovery, his parents puffed up in pride due to him saving the Sorcerer's Stone and ridding the school of the possessed teacher, and although Charlus adored being praised for his astonishing feats, a part of him knew that Quirrell's death and Voldemort's temporary banishment had nothing to do with him, and that he was most probably taking credit for another's triumph.

Wandering the vacant hall in Potter Manor, Charlus gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in envy at hearing his parents had once again congregated with his Uncle Sirius, Aunt Angelica and godfather, Remus, all five of them in a deep discussion of Odette, _again!_ Ever since he returned from Hogwarts for the summer, they have been pestering Odette to reveal _how exactly_ she knew the Headmaster was an imposter and _how exactly_ she managed to rescue the Headmaster from Nurmengard in Germany; to no avail. She just wouldn't budge and barely acknowledged them despite the fact that they all lived under the same roof.

Hearing Odette's voice, Charlus curiously followed the musical lilt to Harry's room; another point that irked the Boy-Who-Lived was the fact that his little brother preferred the Squib over him and everybody else. Five year old Harry Potter basically worshiped the ground Odette walked on and she wasn't even the twin who rid the Wizarding World of Voldemort!

"Dee-Dee, I wanna see Wexi and Wee!" Harry squealed childishly bringing forth a rare smile from his impassive twin's face.

Another bewildering fact was these strange people that Odette seemed to know and nobody could discover how she met them or even how she manages to leave the Manor without getting caught. In his youth, Charlus demanded attention from everyone and disregarded the cruel treatment of his twin, but regardless of that fact, he never failed to notice her in the background with tears streaming down her face. Odette had always been an exuberant baby, boisterous even in the face of the harsh treatment doled out to her, until after his fourth birthday ball in the Ministry, she completely disappeared.

His parents failed to notice her sudden disappearance, but Charlus didn't, after all, he was her twin and despite his arrogance and blindness due to his fame, Charlus recognized the lack of her appearance, and he heard the house-elf, Daisy that his mom ordered to take care of her, frantically searching high and low for his missing twin. And then suddenly, around three years later, she began to show up more often, yet she never tried to steal his adorers or garner attention. Charlus noticed that his twin was no longer a happy child, but cold, impassive and lacked any emotion on her visage. A part of him was concerned, after all, Squib or not, she was his twin, his sister, they formed together from their mother's womb, but his arrogance was overwhelming and he continued to ignore her existence… until her miraculous Hogwarts letter arrived.

Cooing at Harry, Odette laughed, "First of all, Har, its _L_ exi and _L_ ee, we really need to fix your pronunciation, huh?" she ruffled his hair fondly before stiffening and without tearing her emeralds from Harry's person, she snapped, "What do you want, _Charlie_?"

"How did you know? About Dumbledore, I mean," Charlus blurted out. But Odette merely snorted cruelly and gave him a cynical glare while keeping a tight hold on Harry who only had eyes for her, "If I hadn't confided in James and Lily, what makes you think I'll tell _you_? Unlike the other mindless sheep in this Faustian community, I won't kiss your feet just because you asked."

Instead of snapping back with a biting remark, Charlus asked, "Why do you call them by their names? They're your parents!" Odette burst out into uproarious laughter, a few cackles blending in with the melodious ringing causing Charlus to recoil slightly, " _Your_ parents, Charlie. In case you didn't get the memo, or you were too blinded by your adoring fans and being raised on a holy altar, I was raised by nobody! I _have_ no parents, and I _need_ no parents. The only Potter I actually love is Harry, and nobody else. So run along and whine for the new Nimbus Broom that came out like you had been planning on and leave me be," she sneered, completely dismissing him as she returned her complete attention to Harry.

"Wexi and Wee! Wexi and Wee! Me want Wexi and Wee!" Harry chirped, flapping his hands adorably in the air. Sighing in mock-defeat, Odette carried Harry in her arms and into her room, "Okay, champ. Your wish my command."

Unbeknownst to her, James and Lily heard the confrontation between their twins and their hearts bled at their abandoned daughter's words in regards to them. Sirius had to bite his tongue from spitting out, 'I told you so,' but Angelica had no reservations as she shot them both a smug smirk; a vindictive side of her took great pleasure in the Potters' suffering, after all, they brought it upon themselves.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

After dropping off a squealing and ecstatic Harry to the resident vampires who were equally delightful at the chance to spend more time with the lovable five-year-old boy, Odette morphed her looks with her metamorphmagus ability into a black-haired and black-eyed pale twenty-year-old woman and Shadow-Traveled to Diagon Alley.

She strode over to the majestic snowy building with a purpose, her head held high and ignored the curious looks she was on the receiving end of from the few gossip-mongering housewives who took pride in gathering scandalous information on every individual who passed by since they lacked importance in their lives. Upon entering the ornate doors, she dipped her head in acknowledgement to a few staring goblins who instantly recognized her magical aura to be Odette Arielle Potter, friend to the Goblin Nation, deemed worthy and bequeathed the prestigious title by the Head Goblin, Ragnok himself.

Due to her title, _Goblin-Friend_ , Odette was immediately escorted to Ragnok's antechamber without uttering a word, barely sparing any attention to the cacophony of mutterings originating from the curious witches and wizards who noticed the utmost respect given to the dark-haired woman as a few goblins brandished their weapons in a means of protection once her back was turned.

"May the strength of your ancestors flow through you, Goblin-Friend," Ragnok sinisterly grinned upon her entrance, and due to his ferocious guise it appeared more as a grimace that a benign smile.

Smirking in return, Odette formally dipped her head and took her accustomed seat opposite to him, "May the blood of your enemies trail rivers of red behind your feet, Leader Ragnok my dear friend."

Ragnok puffed up in satisfaction at her respectful greeting and the identification of their alliance before speaking with a shrewd stare, "I should have known by now that you will continue to surprise me. I have been planning on sending you a missive in the nearby future. I don't suppose you are willing to share _how_ you knew I required an audience with you…?"

"A little birdie told me," Odette cheekily winked, prompting raucous laughter from the Head Goblin who had a morbid sense of humor and a fondness to the peculiar human who held so much power in her tiny fists. Sitting straight, Ragnok adopted a solemn mien and took up a professional stance, "I see you have been busy at Hogwarts. I always suspected something terribly wrong with Dumbledore for more than a decade now, but unfortunately, the cowardly imposter knew the goblins would recognize him if he entered the front doors," leaning comfortably on his seat, Ragnok continued, "For the past eighteen years, the imposter has been sending lackeys when it came to Gringotts business and continuously rejected my requests for a summit. Now I know my suspicions to be correct; but entertain me, how did you discover what many others failed to?"

Interlocking her fingers together and resting her chin on top, Odette smirked, a triumphant gleam in her emerald gems, "Dumbledore was a heralded wizard, adored by all and yet, when I was a mere babe, I cried in his presence. Pettigrew the traitor would elicit the same reaction out of me, and so, it got me thinking, what if my hatred toward Dumbledore playing a part in my tarnished childhood was blinding me to the truth. Those accursed lemon drops always struck me as odd; I grabbed one and dissected it and they were laced with compulsion potions and a weak truth potion. Me being the Phoenix Queen, Fawkes aided in my endeavor and delivered a lemon drop from his secret stash, and the rest as you know, is history."

"You shall never fail to evoke interest in me, Goblin-Friend. I am honored to be considered as such to you," Ragnok grinned, a finger stroking his cheek in wonder.

"Yes, although I have failed to discover the brains behind the operation. No way in hell could Grindelwald have escaped Nurmengard without anybody noticing, quickly overpower Dumbledore and make the switch," Odette huffed in annoyance; she hated being out of the loop, and didn't fancy discovering the truth with the rest of the Wizarding World during Grindelwald's trial. Noticing the malicious glint in Ragnok's beady eyes had her sitting up straight and leaning forward in a conspiratorial manner, " _What_ do you know, friend?"

"Merely conjecture," Ragnok bit out, though the evil grin remained in place, "But my presumptions nearly always end up veritable. Twenty four years ago, a Muggleborn witch arrived in my lobby asking for an inheritance test notwithstanding the cost. Her Muggle mother had recently perished and in her despondence was desperate to locate the father she never knew. The result of her lineage was… _staggering_ , even in regards to the Goblin Nation since we are unconcerned with the matter of wizards. Then, she materialized four years later, and I received intelligence that the aforementioned witch attained herself a secure position at Hogwarts as a Professor, and according to the Grindelwald's confession, he had been impersonating Dumbledore for eighteen years, approximately _one year_ after the aforementioned witch succeeded in procuring the position as a Hogwarts Professor where she had perfect access in deceiving and disarming the Greatest Wizard in a Century without a hitch."

Completely riveted with Ragnok's tale, Odette felt a spark of curiosity in her belly, "I presume you kept the copy of her inheritance test." It was not a question, but a statement, for Odette knew those greedy bastards would never rid themselves of evidence in the hopes of receiving reimbursement.

"You presume correctly," Ragnok's chapped lips twisted into a nefarious smile and he instantly began rummaging through his private drawer, "Of course, since you are a Goblin-Friend, I require no compensation from you. After Grindelwald's trial, the Head of the DMLE will, without a doubt summon for an audience with me, and I _will_ demand a trade," he sneered at the mention of the Ministry.

A worn-out, fragile papyrus parchment was laid out in front of her, between her and Ragnok; emerald gems immediately perused the myriad of cursive letterings for a familiar name and her eyes widened marginally upon reaching the end; _the last three names in particular._

A Regina Vector had no marriage bond, but she did have a connection with Gellert Grindelwald in terms of procreation; the two separate names each had _one name_ connecting them together, indicating the offspring of their copulation;

 ** _1943 –_**

 ** _Septima Vector_**

 **A/N:** **What do you think, Dear Readers?! XD**

 **German** **:- Lieber Freund – Dear Boyfriend.**

 **Meine Geliebte – My Love.**

 **(1)I couldn't just show the capture of Grindelwald and not portray the reactions of a certain few. (2) Regarding the Death Eaters; I am not giving them excuses for swearing allegiance to Voldemort, however, there must be a reason for some; not everyone is evil. Evil is made, not born! With the fake Dumbledore alienating the Slytherins and calling them Death Eaters in training, allowing the other Houses to get away with bullying them and showing favoritism to the Light Families, that would push many of the dark families to swear allegiance to Voldemort. I am not giving them excuses, merely portraying how Grindelwald was a contributing factor in pushing a certain few over to the Dark Side. (3) Did you like Charlus' thoughts? I couldn't help but write a part for him so I can add variety to my story. Despite the fact that Odette is the main character, I have to show the background of the other characters. (4) To the extreme Harry Potter fans, some are maybe confused in regards to the year differences; as my author note states in chapter one, everything is pushed ten years in advance; for example, instead of Charlus and Odette being born in 1981, they are born in 1991, so instead of Grindelwald being captured in 1945, he was captured in 1955. (5) I am sure you all noticed who exactly Septima Vector is, but to those who don't know… she is the Arithmancy Professor at Hogwarts. Did you see that coming? I mean, it is no easy feat to overpower Dumbledore, somebody had to have the advantage of surprising him, and where better than to have received the trust at Hogwarts. (6) I have been receiving many Reviews regarding Sirius and Angelica; I have not forgotten them, but I won't be focusing on them until at least the end of Chamber of Secrets OR the beginning of Prisoner of Azkaban. So please be patient. I'll be adding more light to our favorite Padfoot and charming Angelica later. (7) I'm sure you all recognized who Odette bumped into in Liberty Lane… surprised? Oh, I hope so! (8) In the next chapters, more of Septima's background will come to light. I'm not going to just say 'oh, she did it,' and not offer the HOW! ;)**

 **I hope you enjoyed this Chapter, there are still many more plot-twists and surprises to come! XD**

 **R &R.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **To those who didn't make the connection in regards to the Sirius lookalike Odette bumped into in Liberty Lane last chapter, it was Regulus Black.**

 **Chapter 24:**

The Wizengamot Chamber was jam-packed with not only the Minister of Magic, the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the Court Scribe and its fifty members, but a myriad of reporters and a plethora of Albus Dumbledore adulators crammed in the visitors box, all of whom foregathered to observe Gellert Grindelwald's trial and see justice be served. Due to the fact that Albus Dumbledore was still seeking treatment and was unconscious in a private ward in St. Mungo's, Tiberius Ogden would be taking the mantle of Chief Warlock until his old friend's recovery.

Amongst the throng of Dumbledore devotees, an inconspicuous woman with short-cropped mousy brown hair and identical eyes stood tall and proud, an evil grin curved on her lips; Odette Arielle Potter wasn't about to miss out witnessing Grindelwald's trial, not after all the hard work she put into capturing the fraud she had a vendetta against ever since the age of five. She took a vindictive pleasure in watching the pallid German Dark Lord escorted to the chained seat in the middle of the Chamber, and hearing the satisfied clink as he became shackled and bound was like music to her ears. The disguised Odette couldn't help but focus intently on the horrified miens of Remus Lupin, Angelica Warren-Black, and Lily Potter in the visiting box, as well as Sirius Black and James Potter in their respective Lord seats, and she mentally cackled with joy at watching their pallid miens and grief-stricken expressions. Let them feel the guilt over supporting a Dark Lord for more than a decade; Odette Potter reveled in their negative emotions as though it were a highly sought out drug.

Brown orbs dulled in boredom as Madam Amelia Bones carried on with normal procedure in a monotone; Odette only cared to hear _how_ Grindelwald's bastard daughter made the switch, not listen in to the inane propaganda he was spouting off regarding his sinister machinations. Finally, Odette's camouflaged plump form straightened in her seat as Madam Amelia Bones inquired, "How did you escape from Nurmengard and make the switch with Albus Dumbledore?"

The Wizengamot Chamber went deathly silent, not wanting to miss out a single word, and hundreds of pairs of eyes watched as the Veritaserum forced the German Dark Lord to utter the truth; Gellert's face transformed into an expression of insane glee as dark chuckles pervaded the air, "Fifty years ago when my forces were beginning to rise with power, I came across a beautiful Muggle. Muggles are meant to bow at our feet. _We_ are superior to them, and they are nothing but slaves, cattle meant for slaughtering and chaining! She bumped into me, and I sensed her … _innocence_ ," a lewd expression took hold of his features prompting nearly all the spectators to recoil in disgust, "Naturally, I raped her and left her for dead." He said it in such a matter-of-fact tone, that even the dogmatic purebloods sneered in revulsion, but Odette chalked it up to them being disgusted over the fact that a wizard initiated sexual intercourse with a ' _filthy muggle'_. Gellert smirked at the sight of Madam Bones' nauseated visage and the Veritaserum compelled him into continuing, "As it turned out, the Muggle survived and nine months later, birthed my child-"

A cacophony of enraged muttering permeated the Chamber, interrupting the German Dark Lord from his forced confession. Tiberius Ogden had to bang the gavel across the marbled surface several times to call for order in the Wizengamot. Madam Bones shot a nasty glare at the fifty members before prompting Grindelwald to continue.

"Eighteen years ago, there was a sudden change in rota, and five guards led by one, Adolf Müller were hauling your unconscious _esteemed_ Leader of the Light, and I became a free wizard once more," a satisfied evil grin etched onto his twisted features, "My bastard daughter discovered her true heritage and began planning my freedom and schemes for world domination. She managed to secure a post at Hogwarts four years before she liberated me; and with her position and the trust of Dumbledore and his peers, she successfully overpowered the unsuspecting fool in a secluded section in the castle."

Pandemonium ensued; shocked miens gaped in horror at the German Dark Lord, unable to believe the daughter of Grindelwald had been teaching at Hogwarts for over two decades while they were attending… while _their_ _children_ had been attending. Tiberius Ogden was too dumbfounded to bang the gravel once more for silence, and once Madam Bones recovered from her shock, she loudly articulated over the commotion, "What is her name?! Tell us the name of your daughter, or her alias?!"

The maelstrom dimmed down unanimously as Gellert Grindelwald smugly opened his mouth and articulated two words that would once again, without a doubt, cause a tumultuous uproar.

" _Septima Vector!_ "

Odette Potter departed from the chamber amidst the havoc and mutinous yelling; her vendetta against the impersonator for aiding in her abysmal childhood had reached its fruition.

 _One down, many more to go!_

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

A month had gone by since Gellert Grindelwald's cataclysmic trial, and while the British Ministry of Magic went through all lengths to capture the previous Arithmancy Professor, and Magical Britain where in a state of fear and fury, Odette Potter was reveling in the chaos she aided in creating. Septima Vector managed to depart Hogwarts before the Wizengamot trial, and now her face was plastered all over the _Daily Prophet_ , the _Quibbler_ , and even the muggle news, along with a hefty reward for her capture. Their German counterpart also posted Vector's name everywhere, along with the notorious German Auror, Adolf Müller who betrayed his oath, and Nurmengard went through an entire cleansing of Grindelwald supporters before finally locking up the aforementioned Dark Wizard in a high security cell, guarded by five loyal aurors and protected with a myriad of watertight wards, not wanting a repetition from eighteen years ago where they were sorrowfully, arrogantly complacent with the securement of the prisoners.

Albus Dumbledore was finally released from St. Mungo's and safely ensconced at Hogwarts where he was trying to acclimatize as Headmaster after his eighteen-year stint in Nurmengard before the beginning of a new term and the arrival of the young wizards and witches. Amelia Bones interrogated him in regards to the individuals who rescued him, but unfortunately, Dumbledore was of no help since he was comatose until his awakening at St. Mungo's a fortnight ago.

Minerva, Filius, Pomona and Hagrid barely allowed him room to breathe as they constantly coddled him, their minds addled with unadulterated guilt; it wasn't until a week after his return, did Albus finally revel in the peace and quiet. The portraits of the previous Headmasters and Headmistresses summarized the events of the past eighteen years in hopes of aiding him, but the milestone was his own pensieve; Gellert had been pouring bountiful memories during his entire imprisonment into the pensieve, and Albus wasted no time in taking the plunge, desperate to know what changes his ex-friend made.

Soft blue eyes were devoid of its customary twinkle as he witnessed the catastrophic events pass by before his very eyes; Gellert ceased his desperate and futile attempts at House Unity and encouraged bigotry between the Houses, mainly Gryffindor and Slytherin. Albus sorrowfully witnessed the termination of Severus Snape and Lily Evan's friendship, the catalyst that _pushed_ Severus Snape into Voldemort's unmerciful clutches. A gleam of delight passed through Albus' wizened face at witnessing James finally succeed in charming the lovely Lily Evans, and he smiled fondly as he observed their wedding, followed by Sirius Black's proposal to his old friend, Alexander Warren's granddaughter. Never would Albus have expected the famed womanizer to settle down, and he grieved at missing out on two of his favorite students' evolution into mature adults. However, Albus' joy was short-lived once Sibyll uttered the prophecy and he was forced to watch Gellert manipulate Severus into turning a spy, and concealing his knowledge over Peter Pettigrew's betrayal.

The moment Albus had been most curious of arrived; the birth of Odette and Charlus Potter. Naturally, Minerva confided in him that Odette Potter had been the anonymous student who discovered the truth of his imposter and his liberation, and Albus was intrigued with observing her growth process. A twinkle introduced himself at the intrinsic cleverness the barely week-old infant possessed; whenever Pettigrew or Gellert so much as held her, she would wail at the top of her tiny lungs, her magic obviously sensing the darkness within, which is why he gaped unattractively once Gellert announced Odette Potter to be a squib after Voldemort's defeat on Halloween, a feat he would definitely be investigating into. Albus' mien turned sullen as he watched all but Sirius and Angelica ignore Odette's existence and his disappointment in his colleagues and favorite students was overwhelming.

 _How could they entirely believe Odette to be a squib? Why, Albus would have urged them to check with a certified Healer for a second opinion! And even IF Odette had been a squib, they should not have mistreated her and alienated her due to Charlus' hailed status as the Boy-Who-Lived._

Albus recalled James and Lily's nature before his unjust incarceration; James, despite his mischief-making and pranking ways, was a devoted wizard when it came to family, what with his upbringing by Charlus and Dorea. James should have doted on his daughter and portray overprotectiveness over any wrongdoing towards her. Lily Evans was a natural mother, even at a young age, and the vivacious redhead had such compassion… _what went wrong? Did fame go to their heads?_

Next, he watched the many birthday celebrations made for Charlus, and his heart went out to the cherubic redhead; despite them being twins, her birthday had never been acknowledged and Albus mournfully watched as James gave Sirius an ultimatum over Odette that led to her complete alienation. Charlus was such an arrogant little boy, more so than James had ever been, and it was unacceptable. Once the twins reached the age of four, Odette completely disappeared, never to be spoken of or seen again until her Hogwarts letter arrived, and Albus felt a pang in his chest as he noticed her emotionless visage and haunted eyes, and yet, what scared the Leader of the Light, was that Odette Potter outperformed Tom Riddle in their detached emotions. Albus had never been bigoted regarding the four houses at Hogwarts, and he watched with shame as Gellert, James and Lily tried bulldozing the eleven-year-old into a resorting.

Once he was regurgitated from his pensieve, Albus forlornly sat on his customary seat and began hatching a plan to restore all that Gellert ruined; his soft blue eyes focused intently on the Elder Wand his loyal phoenix returned. Probing his familiar, Albus only managed to discover that young Odette Potter kept it safe for him and called Fawkes to return the wand back into his possession.

 _Yes, a meeting with Odette Potter would definitely be taking place once she returns to Hogwarts for her second year._

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

Odette, Daphne, Tracey, Aaron, Blaise and Nott were congregated in the drawing room of Malfoy Manor as Draco's guests. Despite her attempts in keeping a distance from the six Slytherins – much to Lexi and Lee's ire – Odette was slowly beginning to form a strong bond with them after the many visits during the seven weeks of summer. After Gellert Grindelwald's trial, Odette balanced her free time between visiting Asgard where she trained with Frigga and Loki and sparred with Thor, spending leisure time with Lexi, Lee and sometimes Bree in Georgia, traveling to the Flamel chateau at France with Nicholas and Perenelle, spending lazy afternoons with Harry and educating him in magic and a variety of subjects, and hanging out with the six Slytherins at their respective manors. Odette assumed her role as Shadow Swan only once around four weeks ago when she assassinated the perverted group of rapists and drug-dealers in Milan, thus beginning to spread fear in Italy.

" _So_ , rumor has it, you've been dubbed as the Ice-Queen of Hogwarts," Daphne grinned at Odette, who scowled in disbelief. Before Odette could erupt into her famous temper, Tracey giggled and added, "Uh-huh, Daph and I were given the title of Ice-Princesses."

Gaping at the hyper brunette, and ignoring the guffaws coming from the four boys, Odette arched an eyebrow and pursed her lips in distaste, "That makes _absolutely_ no sense whatsoever. Trace is anything but frigid and impassive. In fact, you're annoyingly chipper and optimistic."

"Yeah, but she's one of your best friends, so the title falls on her regardless of her cheerful disposition," Aaron smirked. Odette scoffed loudly and averted eye-contact, "I don't know where you got that assumption from, Aaron. We're _not_ best friends, merely… acquaintances that spend a lot of time together."

Odette's statement had six pairs of eyes rolling in exasperation; the six Slytherins had long ago got used to the fact that Odette had problems opening up to new people and always downplayed their bond of friendship. Blaise sent Odette a deadpanned stare, "Dee, you're in denial. Stop pushing us away, we're your _friends_."

"Did it EVER cross your minuscule minds that I. DON'T. WANT. any _friends_ ," Odette sneered, pervading the room in an uncomfortable silence, they were intimidated by the redhead's raging temper and wisely decided to keep their mouths shut. "Friends are nothing but a weakness, and I am _not_ weak," she hissed, her emeralds glowing with anger and a smidge of sadness, "Why can't you accept that I don't want to, nor would I _ever_ want to be friends?!"

Daphne met the redhead's ire head on, "The same reason why you cannot admit that we ARE your friends no matter how much you try to push us away."

"I know Slytherins are notorious for their slyness and cunning ways," Theo quietly spoke up, "We are rumored to always have an agenda when befriending others, but that's mostly hogwash. We understand that you like your independence and have many secrets, and we never badgered you into confiding in us. We respect your privacy and we never confessed to our parents that you are the anonymous student that unveiled the imposter."

There was a sharp intake of breath from the redhead at Theo's words, and her emeralds widened in shock and surprise as she took in the five other Slytherin's knowing miens and nodding heads. "You knew? You _all_ knew…? How?!" she snapped, her stance subtly morphing into a protective stance and her hand twitched to reach out for one of her hidden daggers that were always on her person. There was a brush against her Occlumency shield and Divus' voice pervaded her mind, _My Queen, your denial and stubbornness shall be your downfall. Trust them my Queen, trust them! Not only will they be beneficial allies, but they are genuinely loyal to you._ Simultaneously, Shiva, who was invisible and coiled around her wrist, hissed, _I smell no deception or falsehoods from them, mistress. These hatchlings are being honest._

"We're Slytherins, Dee," Draco shrugged in response, "You started disappearing on us, and looked like a witch on a mission. Plus, Blaise and Tracey saw you with Madam Bones and Professor Snape the day Grindelwald was arrested into Ministry custody, that paired with the _Daily Prophet_ clipping of an anonymous student and it wasn't hard to connect the dots."

Rendered speechless by Draco's admission, Odette felt as though she were at an impasse; the Shadow Swan in her wanted to spill blood, cause carnage, and leave no witness behind, but the joint urgings of Divus and Shiva, the many lectures of Lee, Lexi and Bree, and her own covert feelings of kinship with the six Slytherins had her pause, deeply confused as a war waged in the recess of her mind. Just as the six Slytherins grew increasingly uncomfortable with the long beat of silence, Rodolphus and Lucius walked into the drawing room, both sporting a disgruntled expression on their handsome visages.

"Father, what's wrong?" Draco asked, inwardly grateful for the disruption from the tense ambience.

Fuming, Lucius poured himself a glass of mulled mead from the decanter and waved for Rodolphus to speak after offering him a glass as well. Staring down at the children, Rodolphus grimaced, "We were just at a meeting with the Board of Governors, due to Grindelwald impersonating Dumbledore, and Quirrell attacking the _Boy-Who-Lived_ , Lily Potter will be taking Vector's place as the Arithmancy Professor and James Potter is replacing McGonagall as the Transfiguration Professor to keep better watch over their precious son."

That unsettling proclamation snapped Odette from her reverie and she gaped at Rodolphus and Lucius' grim miens in mounting horror, "You're joking right? _Please_ tell me this is all just some elaborate hoax…"

"Funny, I said the same thing," Lucius drawled, flashing Odette a sorrowful look, "Unfortunately, this coming year both Potters shall be a part of Hogwarts staff."

"What about McGonagall?" Aaron demanded, "What's going to happen to her?"

"She'll remain Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor," Rodolphus forlornly uttered.

Minerva McGonagall may be an avid Dumbledore supporter and protective of her lions, but she, like Flitwick and Sprout, was fair… stern yet fair, demanding respect. With James Potter as part of the staff, there was no doubt over the fact that he would spread his bigoted views on Slytherin and severely show favoritism to Gryffindors while alienating the Slytherins and punishing them harshly.

"Great! Bloody brilliant. Now I get to see those two every damn day! What a dream come true," Odette drawled sarcastically, eliciting a mixture of humorous grins and pitying glances from the others assembled in the room. Lucius dragged a hand through his silky platinum hair, "I don't know about Odette, however, Draco, Aaron and Theo, you three are known children of alleged Death Eaters, beware Potter, and if he treats you unfairly, you let me know. Dolph and I are part of the Hogwarts Board of Governors; our position would hopefully protect you."

"And take care of Rhea as well," Rodolphus added before he left the room. His niece may be a Slytherin in mind, but she was a Hufflepuff at heart, and they feared James Potter singling her out would make her despondent. Aaron, Blaise and Draco vowed to protect their cousin from the bigoted Potters. Once the two adults left, they were once again engulfed in an uncomfortable silence as they all stared warily at Odette.

Odette Arielle Potter reached to a decision, and desperately hoped it wouldn't come to bite her in the ass; no matter what, she would always be an emotionless, hardcore assassin, evoking terror around the globe, but she wouldn't allow the Petrovich brothers to win, their indoctrination already affected her life, and it was time she made decisions based on her heart. Wandlessly, she reversed the invisibility spell on Shiva and grinned softly at the six wary Slytherins.

"This, is Shiva, my familiar other than Divus," Odette softly informed them, her emeralds focused intently on her Taipan Snake. Taking in a deep breath, the redhead took the plunge and hissed in Parseltongue, prompting loud gasps from her friends. Looking up at them, she flashed them a genuine smile, "Since we're all friends here, and since you kept my secret, I don't mind sharing that I am a Parselmouth."

The wariness etched on each of their miens morphed into awe as they all took turns in stroking the snake, who was milking all the attention solely placed on her. Aaron smirked at Odette, "That's bloody awesome, Dee!" and Odette was grateful to them when they didn't interrogate her on how she inherited Salazar Slytherin's most coveted gift. Maybe Lexi and Divus were right; Odette Arielle Potter picked the right people to befriend.

Later on in the future, Odette would never doubt her current decision, for together, the seven Slytherins would become formidable opponents and the best of friends.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

"I am proud of you, lítil stúlka," Frigga uttered in her mellifluous voice, her cerulean orbs sparkling with adoration. Odette shook her head fondly, ever since the age of three when Loki introduced her to Frigga, the kindly mother never once ceased calling her a little girl, and Odette doubted she ever would.

"What for, mama Frigga?"

Frigga settled her palm on an oak tree and closed her eyes, a serene expression taking over her beautiful mien, and without opening her orbs, said, "For opening up your heart, mind and soul to a different possibility. For reaching out. I do not choose to ignore who you have become, nor am I ignorant regarding your copious sins… I merely look at you and see the vibrant and compassionate three-year-old that was full of life. I have felt the dark and malicious energy that consumes you, and sensed the loneliness you deny. I witnessed the unmerciful glint in your captivating eyes, and observed as you transformed from an innocent flower to a ruthless killer," Frigga snapped open her cerulean eyes and turned to face a stupefied Odette squarely, "And yet, you allowed yourself to open up to a variety of seidhrs and evolved into a quasi-happy girl again. And for that, I am proud of you. Life is about taking risks, lítil stúlka, _never forget that_."

With a loud exhalation of breath, Odette took hold of her mother-figure's hand, "Tell me of what you see, mama Frigga."

Frigga's face radiated with exuberance as a beaming smile took over her features, " _Ohhh_ , I see happiness, and love… a great bond of friendship. A family. You have chosen well, my lítil stúlka. Never doubt yourself. Now come, let's continue with our lesson before Loki and Thor grow impatient."

Odette giggled slightly and imitated Frigga's previous action; she emptied her mind, closed her eyes and placed her palm gently on the oak tree. Ever since Loki appeared to her at Liberty Lane, Odette frequently visited Frigga for tutoring. Apparently, it was time for the redhead to learn how to connect with nature, despite the fact that she was dark and held no patience for the environment. Frigga rebuked her, and listed off the many advantages of formulating a bond with nature. For the past seven weeks, the assassin grasped no progress in connecting with the trees and just as Odette was about to peevishly huff at her futile attempts, a breeze hit her face, and whisperings brushed past her shield and softly invaded her mind.

 _Odette Potter … the prophesized one … rejoice for the chosen one … dark yet equally pure … beware for what is to come … spirits talk … believe in us and we should aid you … believe … believe … have faith and believe …_

She abruptly yanked her hand backward and released the trunk, and immediately, the many voices disappeared; emerald orbs snapped open to meet knowing cerulean ones. "You heard them, didn't you?" Frigga smiled softly, and Odette nodded mutely in response, staggered by what the voices imparted her with, "Like I said Odette Arielle, nature has a voice of their own. They are sentient and alive just as we. They flourish just like we do. And they obtain knowledge just like we do. I think that concludes our lesson for today. _Ah_ , and just in time." Frigga beamed as her two sons strode toward them.

"Odette Arielle, Fjársjóður, come spar with me," Thor boomed jovially. Loki rolled his eyes at his brawny brother, "No. Grænn gimsteinn minn, forget about Thor. Let us visit the library."

Before an argument could break out, Odette cut in, "Actually, I am running late as it is. I'm supposed to be meeting my friends at Diagon to purchase the requirements for Hogwarts."

Thor blinked a few times before stating in palpable shock, "You have friends?" and while Frigga and Odette laughed at the comical expression on the blonde prince's face, Loki aggressively rolled his eyes and snapped, "Tactful as ever, brother. Truly, I am _not_ surprised." The Silvertongue Prince opened up a can of worms as the two brothers instigated in a verbal combat of wits; shaking her head fondly at them, Odette embraced Frigga, "Whenever those two return to the present and notice that I'm gone, tell them I'll visit them soon. Bye mama Frigga."

The farewell coupled with the tinkling mellifluous laughter was the last thing the redhead managed to hear before she transported into a hidden alley behind Gringotts. Wandering aimlessly around Diagon Alley and ignoring the few gazes burning into her skull, emeralds finally widened in delight upon finding her friends huddled together by Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.

"Dee! There you are," Tracey waved ecstatically before embracing the redhead in a suffocating hug. Odette barely stiffened at the contact as she was getting used to being in close proximity to individuals other than Lee, Lexi and Bree. "You're running late," Daphne stated, going straight to the point but all the same engulfing her in a hug. Odette rolled her eyes, "Oh forgive me, your majesty," she sarcastically quipped.

Aaron snorted and placed an arm around her shoulder as they ambled toward Flourish and Blotts, "You're the Ice Queen remember, we should be bowing down to you." Laughter erupted from them and Odette teasingly elbowed him in the ribs before her eyes widened at the packed store, "What the bloody hell? What's with the traffic jam of estrogen?"

Instead of deeming her inquiry with an answer, Theo mutely pointed at the large banner stretched across the upper windows: _GILDEROY LOCKHART will be signing copies of his autobiography MAGICAL ME today 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m._ and subsequently, the aforementioned wizard pompously strode up the stage and into view dressed in lurid robes of a forget-me-not blue that exactly matched his eyes and a pointed wizard's hat set at a jaunty angle on his dirty-blonde wavy hair. The myriad of large pictures of him winking and flashing dazzlingly white teeth grated on Odette's nerves, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes at the cacophony of adulated comments and sycophantic gazes of the female population, all of whom sported starry eyes that deeply nauseated her.

Perusing through her booklist, Odette sneered, "Who the hell would assign all his fictional books as our defense books this year?"

"Some stalking admirer of his for sure," Aaron snorted, his hand tightening on her shoulder as the crowd started bumping into them. In fact, Draco, Blaise and Theo ensured that Daphne and Tracey wouldn't get lost in the throng and the four boys were inwardly pleased that their three female friends weren't admiring the pompous prick like all the other brainless witches in the vicinity.

The seven Slytherins unsuccessfully tried drowning out the annoying voice of Lockhart until he suddenly yelled, "It can't be _Charlus Potter_!" and the next thing everybody knew, the photographer grabbed the aforementioned wizard and dragged him over to Lockhart who began boasting about them making the front page of the _Daily Prophet_ together.

"Ugh, looking at them makes me sick," Odette groaned, "Let's just get all the required books and leave quickly before James and Lily finds me." The other six agreed immediately and made a mad dash to collect all their books, simultaneously groaning in annoyance when Lockhart jubilantly announced that he would be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts.

Fuming, Daphne violently slammed her books against the counter and icily snapped, "Great! Just what we needed. Another year of us sleeping through Defense. Are they completely incapable of hiring a _certified_ and _competent_ teacher, for Merlin's sake!"

"Odette? What are you doing here, we've been searching for you all mor-," James Potter's words drowned out as his hazel orbs skimmed the group his daughter was congregated with, "Odette Arielle Potter! How dare you hang out with these-these _Slytherins_! Come, we're going home young lady!" he left no room for argument, but his eyes flashed with anger when he noted how the Lestrange boy's arm tightened around his daughter protectively when he took a step toward her.

Odette arched a crimson brow at her so-called father and sneered in a Slytherin worthy tactic, her emerald orbs gazing nonchalantly at Charlus, Lily, Sirius and Angelica as they joined the fray, "And _what,_ pray tell makes you think that I want to go _anywhere_ with you lot? I AM a Slytherin, and I remain with my own, _James_. Leave before you make a scene and an even more incredible fool of yourself, it wouldn't do to tarnish our precious Boy-Who-Lived's image with _Daily Prophet_ reporters swarming the place, now, _would we_?"

"I am your father young lady, and you _will_ listen to m-"

"Is there a problem, children?" Lucius Malfoy's silky drawl pervaded the tense atmosphere, and the Slytherins, excluding Odette, breathed a sigh of relief as Narcissa, Rodolphus, Rabastan, Bellatrix and Esmeralda joined Lucius, all of whom glared intently at the Potters and the Blacks. James sneered at the Malfoy Patriarch, "I'm here for my daughter, Malfoy!"

Rabastan moved forward and placed a comforting hand on Odette's shoulder, grinning mischievously as James' eyes darkened at the skin-contact, "Now, now, Potter. No need for that. Odette is coming back to the manor with us for lunch, so you can all move along, wouldn't want to make a scene."

"My daughter isn't going anywhere with you Death Eaters!" Lily snarled, adding in her input. The Weasley clan approached them, each redhead glaring at the Slytherins with malice and Sirius quickly intervened before his best friend made a colossal mistake, "James, Odette clearly wants to remain with them, let's leave. C'mon."

Bellatrix smirked, "Excellent suggestion, _cousin_. It seems you do actually have a brain," and without giving the Gryffindorks a moment to retort, the formidable witch took hold of Rhea and Odette's hands and dragged them out of the suffocating bookstore, "Come along, children!"

James and Lily glared maliciously at the retreating backs of the Death Eaters while Sirius gaped in shock at the tender care and love his deranged cousin, Bella just portrayed with not only her family by blood, but his goddaughter who had not even an inkling of relation with her.

"I think I entered the twilight zone," Sirius muttered to Angelica whose cornflower blue eyes were glaring a hole into the back of James and Lily's head regarding their despicable behavior in a public place, and their prejudiced words to upstanding Lords and Ladies of Magical Britain, despite their Death Eater status.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

There was a distinctive scuttling resonating in Nott Manor, tiny claws clashing against the marbled floor, and a fat rat slid under the door of Lord Rigel Nott's study. The aforementioned wizard sat rigidly on his upholstered chair, icy blue eyes piercing the rodent, his lips forming a distasteful sneer, and with a tiny flick of his wand, he forced the vile rodent into transition, smirking nefariously at the painful process the poor excuse of a wizard was going through at being forced out of his animagus form.

A flash of blue-white erupted around the oppressing study, and the fat gray rat began twisting madly; limbs were sprouting, a head was shooting upward and a moment later, a man stood where the rat had previously been, cowering and whimpering as he tried avoiding looking into the pair of unmerciful icy eyes. Rigel's wicked smirk slackened into his patent sneer of superiority, revulsion etched on his attractive features as he scrutinized the coward for the second time in eleven years; Peter Pettigrew was very short and very plump, his colorless hair was unkempt and there was a large bald patch on top, his skin looked grubby like his animagus form's fur, and his pointed nose and small watery eyes was the embodiment of his rat form.

"Pettigrew!" Rigel snapped, trying and failing in hiding his aversion to the wizard who hid like a coward as a pet rat for more than a decade, "Do you have what I sent you for?" he threateningly caressed his wand, taking sick pleasure as Pettigrew cowered and quivered and his breathing turned fast and shallow in palpable fear.

"Y-y-yes, yes, L-Lord N-Nott," Pettigrew stammered in his annoyingly squeaky voice.

Sneering in tangible dislike, Rigel barked out, "Good god, stop sniveling like your animagus form and speak properly you insipid simpleton!" With a terrified ear-pitching squeak, Pettigrew fumbled with an object in his inner robe, and quickly dropped it on the obsidian ornamented desk as though he had been burned. The air crackled with an ominous foul energy as the dark artifact was planted on his desk; Rigel vividly recalled as though it were only yesterday, the envious sentiment churning in his gut and his blinded rage when the Dark Lord entrusted three of his beloved artifacts with Lucius Malfoy, Regulus Black and Bellatrix Lestrange.

The artifact given to Black was undisclosed what with his untimely death, and Rigel knew that Lestrange would have concealed hers at Gringotts where it was impossible to steal with its sinister enchantments and deathtrap protections, which left out Lucius, the arrogant fool who believed himself superior due to his powerful family, linking him to the Lestranges and the Zabinis. Rigel struck with unimaginable luck when he came across the dark artifact in Lucius' study upon his visit a month ago and he immediately began scheming over how he would go to achieve it into his possession. Again, Rigel struck luck when the cowardly fool thought traitor showed himself into his manor in fear of the Dark Lord's return due to the rumors over the end of June, and scampered to Rigel for help since he feared Bellatrix and Rodolphus more.

The Malfoys and the Lestranges grew complacent with the Dark Lord gone, comfortable in their majestic abodes and life of family grandeur; Rigel was revolted whenever he witnessed them playing happy family, and even more so when he discovered via his son, that they took in the Potters' brat into their family. He was unperturbed over the close bond between his son and the Potter chit, for she would be an abundant source of knowledge once the Dark Lord returned to power and pursued the _Boy-Who-Lived_.

"Hmm. At least you aren't completely useless, Pettigrew," Rigel sneered, finally detaching his icy orbs from the artifact to looked squarely into a pair of pathetic watery eyes. "A mediocre wizard such as yourself, I honestly expected you to fail. Nevertheless, the Dark Lord shall favor us once he returns, and once you succeed in your task."

"M-My task? I th-thought ob-obtaining th-that artifact was m-my task," Pettigrew stammered, fear coloring his words. Blue orbs hardened and Rigel spat out, " _Fool!_ Incompetent excuse of a wizard! What use would I have of that artifact?! No, Pettigrew, you successfully procured it into our possession, now it is time for you to plant it in another's. Now, _go_ , make yourself useful, you rat."

The sniveling wizard tucked the dark artifact safely into his inner robes and quickly scampered out of Nott Manor until he reached past the boundaries of the ancient wards; he apparated back to the Burrow, transformed into his animagus form, and dozed off by the kitchen windowsill. Once all residents of the Burrow were in a state of deep sleep, Wormtail scuttled into Ginny Weasley's room, transformed back to his humanoid form and planted _Tom Riddle_ 's diary inside her Transfiguration book before once again scampering off.

Peter Pettigrew was able to relax and breathe freely now that his task had reached fruition, and he succumbed into a deep sleep where he could continue living the comfortable life as a pet rat. However, in Nott Manor, a twelve-year old boy accidently eavesdropped on the entire conversation between his father and the despicable Death Eater that betrayed the Potters, and dread filled his entire being as he surrendered into Morpheus' arms.

 **A/N:** **Another chapter done! Did you all like it?! XD**

 **(1)Okay, so to start it off: Some of you might be disappointed with the lack of action in this chapter, and I truly am sorry. You see, this was more of a filler chapter with a few important details included for many plots in future chapters, so bear with me. (2) Septima Vector was AWOL in this chapter. Why? She isn't important yet. But later on, she will be playing a major role in this story, so be patient for future chapters, I have MANY plans for her character. ;) (3) Odette bonding with the six Slytherins; it was a very important part to include. Why? I had to show HOW Odette finally gave up in pushing them away. This is the starting point of their unbreakable bond and the start of a beautiful friendship. (4) Some of you may be wondering in regards to the change in Odette. Explanation: Odette is still Shadow Swan and a hardcore, emotionless assassin. She's not the same person she was before Ivan Vanko kidnapped her, BUT that doesn't mean she would live a lonely life. Odette finds it hard to open up to people since Zelda's death and the Petrovich brothers brainwashing her. Odette decided to listen to her familiars and Lexi, Lee and Bree and finally give in to their friendship. She will still be impassive and emotionless to strangers, but once she befriends someone, she acts naturally with them. So she has two completely different personalities. (5) Did you like the insight into Albus Dumbledore's head? He isn't evil, so I am sorry if anyone had been looking forward to Dumbledore Bashing, ain't gonna happen, especially since he plays an important part in future chapters. (6) Last note; James and Lily Potter will be constantly around Odette at Hogwarts now. They became professors to protect their precious Charlus, and** ** _believe me_** **, Odette and her best friends** ** _will_** **butt heads with them. So excited! ;)**

 **Next chapter: Chamber of Secrets! There will be many plot-twists and surprises, Dear Readers! And we will finally have an Odette/Dumbledore confrontation! ;)**

 **R &R.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Chapter 25:**

Absorbedly staring into pupil-less white eyes, Odette knew that her second school year at Hogwarts would not be tedium and uneventful. Of course, the imposter, Grindelwald had been unveiled and the true Albus Dumbledore returned to his rightful place. However, James and Lily Potter would be constants around the castle to protect their precious 'savior' meaning nothing good for the impassive redhead. Why, Odette hadn't stepped foot into the esteemed castle and already a shocking surprise awaited her; shocking, yet not entirely unexpected, after all, Odette Arielle Potter was a famous assassin who went by the name of Shadow Swan and had the misfortune of being acquainted by death at the early age of four, therefore, she would obviously be able to behold a Thestral quite visibly.

Fleshless, with black coats clinging to their skeletons; dragonish heads; wings sprouted from each wither – vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats; radiating eeriness and a sinister gloom, and yet, Odette regarded them to be beautiful in their own unique way. Pairs of white, glittering eyes that lacked both, expression and pupils; perhaps that particular oddity was the perplexing reason as to why stirrings of companionship was evoked in the redhead's pure, yet black heart that had begun withering seven years ago. …Many would spare them a mere glimpse and recoil away in fear and disgust; many with the inability to witness them would claim and blindly judge them to be omens of evil; in conclusion, Thestrals were grossly misunderstood creatures by the dense, judgmental wizarding population, just like Odette herself, had been wholly misunderstood since her separation from Lily Potter's womb.

Thestrals were dead smart and extremely loyal creatures with the ability to discern friend from foe and the redhead immediately felt a kinship to the magnificent creatures awaiting the second to seventh year students to aboard the carriages. With absolutely no hesitation whatsoever, she lifted a dainty hand with the intention of stroking the one that would be pulling the seven Slytherins' carriage, garnering herself a mixture of awed and perplexed stares from her fellow friends.

"I cannot believe you can see Thestrals," Tracey muttered, shaking her head in sympathy. Odette shrugged from her seat between Aaron and Theo in the Great Hall amidst the seas of green, emerald orbs stubbornly averting eye-contact with the staff table, "Ugh, Trace, spare me the unneeded and misdirected pity. I wasn't affected, so don't give me a shoulder to cry on, because that's not going to happen. Not now, not ever." It was true after all – the first few deaths Odette bore witness to had been a plethora of nameless and faceless girls who had outlived their usefulness from the Red Room long before the taboo event struck: Zelda's death forcibly by her hand. Out of the hundreds of hundreds of deaths Odette endured witnessing and instigated herself, Zelda's was the only one that affected her, and will always be a taint on her soul and conscious.

Tracey childishly stuck her tongue out as the others laughed at her expense, not including Theo; Odette didn't fail to realize that her introverted friend could see the majestic creatures as well, she merely cast a blind eye, leaving his private life exactly that: private; once Theo decided to share with them, he will, but in his own time. In the meantime, Daphne was diligently examining the staff table with a heavy scowl marring her beautiful mien and she wasted no time in ranting to the other six about the subject of her deep ire, "It's like they're purposely trying to torture us! We have that complete pillock Lockhart as our Defense Professor, and James bloody Potter for Transfiguration. McGonagall at least remained fair, Potter will be horrid!"

Odette gritted her teeth angrily at the reminder of the sperm donor's presence in the castle, despite her adamantly remaining in denial, the redhead knew that she would inevitably come face-to-face with the sperm donor and the surrogate – no way in hell was Odette about to give them the title of father and mother, even in the recess of her mind; they didn't deserve such priority, definitely not from her. Sharing in the icy blonde's vexation, Blaise's indigo eyes scanned the head table and grimaced when they focused in on the poised redhead with emerald eyes, though quite dissimilar from Odette's, "Don't forget next year. I for one have been looking forward to taking Arithmancy as an elective."

Snorting loudly, Draco smirked, "If you ask me, I don't know whether I'd prefer Grindelwald's spawn teaching us over Lily Potter." That particular declaration had the seven Slytherins erupting into uproarious laughter, prompting a few students to inquisitively stare at those that were becoming famously known at Hogwarts as the Slytherin Princes, Ice Princesses, and Ice Queen in regards to the terrifying redhead, notorious for her poisonous glare and toxic words.

The start-of-the-year feast went along swimmingly with best friends, Astoria Greengrass and Rhea Lestrange succeeding in getting sorted into Slytherin under their sister and three cousins protection, respectively. Once the desserts had been wiped clean throughout the hall, the _real_ Headmaster announced a heart-warming speech of his return, followed by the introduction of the three new professors; he then reiterated the plethora of rules alongside the methodical ominous warning to keep clear from the Forbidden Forest, and lastly, a stern yet imploring diatribe encouraging House Unity – an announcement that had been lacking for eighteen years.

Odette Arielle Potter stood by her previous sensation, call it intuition… her second school year at Hogwarts would not be tedium and uneventful, and she couldn't wait to observe the chaos that would surely ensue.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

Transfiguration for the second years ended up taking place three times a week for the Slytherins and Gryffindors. The seven Slytherins groaned and bemoaned as they trudged over to the Transfiguration classroom, ignoring Professor Potter who pompously stood by his desk, and congregated together at the back of the class. Odette sat between Tracy and Daphne while Aaron, Draco, Blaise and Theo sat in front of them, all four of whom instantly took it upon themselves to be a sort of buffer for the three girls.

Glaring at the snakes with palpable distaste, James Potter began the registry and once he reached Odette's name, he initiated eye-contact and parted his lips; Odette instantly knew that whatever he had to say, would be anything but good. "Miss Potter, I would like you to change your seating plan. Go sit beside Miss Granger."

The tension in the classroom surmounted as emotionless emerald orbs gazed indifferently at her alleged father; leaning against the back of her chair, Odette crossed her arms against her chest and defiantly exclaimed, "No. If you have a problem with my seating arrangement Professor, then I suggest you take it up with my Head of House or the Headmaster."

A collective hush permeated the air as every single pair of eyes widened at the Ice Queen, heads swaying to and fro from the apoplectic Professor to the nonchalant redhead.

James gritted his teeth and glared at his disobedient daughter; how was he supposed to separate Odette from the group of mini-Death Eaters? Apparently his daughter had no problem disrespecting him in public. Menacingly, he approached Odette's desk, ignoring the way the six Slytherins surrounding her tensed up and inched closer to her. " _No?_ I am the Professor here, Miss Potter, and when I tell you to do something, you obey with a ' _yes, Professor Potter_ ', do I make myself clear?!"

" _Yes, Professor Potter_ ," Odette parroted in a monotone, a saccharine smile on her lovely visage that didn't bode well for those on the receiving end of it. Smiling smugly, James waved a hand to the vacant seat to Hermione Granger's right, "Good. Well then Miss Potter, change seats, and let it be known that it will be your customary seat until the end of the year."

"I meant, yes, Professor Potter, I understand," Odette snapped with vitriol, "But if you honestly expect me to sit next to _Granger_ , then you're off your rocker. I see no reason why I should change my seat; after all, Professor McGonagall wasn't bothered, I see no reason why you're making a hissy fit over it."

Hazel eyes bore a hole into Odette's forehead and fury consumed him; when he spoke up, spit flew wildly around as his anger surmounted due to the defiant disrespect his daughter was portraying quite brazenly, "Professor McGonagall is _no_ longer your Transfiguration Professor! In _my_ classroom, under _my_ instruction, things will be moving along very differently. If you don't like it, then there's the door. As for now, move over to your seat beside Miss Granger!"

Charlus and Ron shared devious smirks, exuberantly watching with unadulterated glee as the squib got dressed down on in front of the entire class. Grabbing her possessions, Odette sprung from her seat; James inwardly grinned, glad that Odette was finally obeying him, but unfortunately, his triumph was short-lived as the redhead strode towards the door with a purpose, emeralds glowing like the _Avada Kedavra_ Curse and narrowing in on him with pure hatred that had him inwardly cringing, "I believe that I will not be attending your lessons from now on, Professor Potter. I find that Transfiguration is severely _lacking_ now that we have a bigoted professor teaching us. You'll be hearing from Professor Snape," and without further ado, she slammed the door shut, shaking the foundation with its intensity.

The Gryffindors gaped at the closed door, unable to believe what had just occurred before their very eyes, and before James could spew forth another word, every single Slytherin stood up from their seats in perfect unison, and departed the classroom, following the Ice Queen's footsteps. Some like Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode, Lily Moon, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle may despise Odette Potter and envy her with a passion, but even they couldn't deny that she was an appropriate leader that wouldn't set them astray, _and_ in all honesty, they would rather follow her than suffer through James Potter's bullying and torment.

Word spread like wildfire throughout the entire castle regarding Professor James Potter, the father of the Boy-Who-Lived's first Transfiguration lesson with the second year Slytherins and Gryffindors, and of how his own daughter disrespected him and defied him in public. There was a metaphorical fissure in the castle as everyone's opinions were split, and surprisingly, some Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws admitted that James Potter was in the wrong, while some proclaimed that Odette had no right to disobey or question a teacher. But it wasn't merely the students with varying opinions regarding the incident; a war ensued, a war instigated by Professor Snape who was known to be immensely and fiercely protective of his snakes, _especially_ Odette Potter, despite her parentage.

Professor Snape was on a roll; he deducted points from the second year Gryffindors as though he was donating free candy on Halloween, and when Charlus and Ron foolishly avowed blatant unfair treatment, they were both handed Saturday detention. Professor Potter was unable to treat the second year Slytherins unfairly because after the first Transfiguration lesson, none of them bothered showing up to their remaining allotted lessons. The matter accumulated when Professor Potter reduced a few first year Slytherins into tears, including Rhea Lestrange who had the heart of a badger; Aaron Lestrange, Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini vowed retribution and relayed the occurrence to their respective parents, to which, James found himself bombarded with Howlers on a regular basis, surmounting chaos in the Great Hall and madness in the castle.

After the second week of term past with no change, the Headmaster decided it was time to intervene.

Currently, soft blue eyes devoid of its customary twinkling was boring into the indignant hazels of James Potter; not only was Albus _furious_ with one of his favorite students and the son of two of his closest, deceased friends, Charlus and Dorea Potter, but Albus was morose as well – glumly wondering where the James Potter he personally knew vanished. It seems blasphemous that James never matured from his bullying tendencies and bigotry toward Slytherins _. For Melin's sake, his mother was a Slytherin_!

"James," Albus sighed disappointedly, prompting him to cringe in return, "What happened to you my dear boy? Don't play me for a fool, James. This all started because you made things personal, because you wanted to create a distance between your daughter and her friends. You are a Professor here at Hogwarts, and under no circumstances am I to allow you to tarnish any hopes of House Unity! _What happened to you_?!"

Albus always had the gift to make even those who have _long_ graduated to feel like naughty schoolchildren; James shuffled nervously in his seat and winced when he met hardened blue eyes as opposed to the merrily twinkling soft azures. "Headmaster, I am merely practicing caution. I don't like my daughter frolicking around with the children of Death Eaters. She's painting Charlus in a bad light the more she cavorts with them! Can't you see?! I'm trying to _protect_ my family!"

Eyes slowly shuttered to a close from behind a pair of half-moon spectacles, and one withered hand was dragged down the wizened face of the Headmaster. After a few tensed minutes of absolute silence, Albus instigated eye-contact with the man who used to be his favorite pupil and the shadow of the boy he used to regard as a grandson, "James, the fame has clearly got to, not only _your_ head, but Lily's as well. _Don't. Interrupt_!" he abruptly placed a hand up and a bewildered James obediently snapped his mouth shut, "Did you know that while Gellert Grindelwald had been impersonating me, he hoarded all the events of the past eighteen years into my pensieve?" he asked rhetorically, swiftly continuing, "I was planning on waiting till Yule to convene with you and Lily, but this will have to do as I find myself sufficiently lacking patience. You and Lily have treated Odette _deplorably_. I had the misfortune to bear witness and watch as a vibrant, optimistic and cheerful toddler evolve into an emotionless, lonely and empty girl, and you have nobody but yourself and your wife to blame! Both of you foolishly and blindly believed my imitator's claim regarding her lack of magic! Even I am not without flaw; as responsible parents you should have garnered a second opinion and take Odette to a Healer at St. Mungo's; even if she ended up being a squib, what happened to the James Potter that befriended a werewolf and held no prejudice? What happened to Lily Evans, believer of equality concerning Muggleborns, squibs and magical creatures, who brutally attacked their unfair treatment in Magical Britain?"

Too aggravated by the accumulated wrongdoings of two of his favorite pupils who had such promise and compassion and goodness, Albus started pacing in his office, not bothering to scrutinize the expression of the silent, gobsmacked James Potter as he heatedly continued with his outburst, "Not only did you ignore your daughter, your own flesh and blood, but you completely disregarded her birthdays! Charlus and Odette are twins, and yet, when I took the plunge into my pensieve, I only perceived Gellert attending _Charlus'_ birthdays! And to make matters worse, the only two who supported, cared and cherished that little girl, who treated her as a living human being, you drove them away with an ultimatum. Sirius and Angelica absconded to America for _years_ due to their inability to confront and ignore that little girl who's only fault was being the twin to the Boy-Who-Lived!"

"Albus-"James choked out, tears cascading down his handsome visage, unable to articulate a coherent sentence with his mentor, a man he regarded as family, listing off all the deplorable actions that had surmounted in twelve years. Turning around to face the miserable father with a sliver of hope, Albus calmly stated, "Did you ever wonder _why_ , when Peter Pettigrew or Gellert Grindelwald held your daughter or merely stood nearby her form, did you ever wonder _why_ , the usually quiet infant would cry her heart out? Hours after leaving Lily's womb, your daughter portrayed powerful magic. It wasn't luck, nor was it her instincts, James, Odette's magic, at a few hours old, recognized Pettigrew and Grindelwald's evil and the taint of dark magic lingering on their soul."

James was reduced to a stuttering mess, unable to accept the fact that he had treated not only a magical child, but _his daughter, his flesh and blood_ , worse than some of the darkest and evil Pureblood families would treat their house-elves, muggles and 'mudbloods'. "But-but, Albus, come on. I am sure it … it's possible she was a late bloomer due to the backlash of tha-"

"And if she was?" Albus calmly retorted, returning to his customary seat behind his desk to face James better. "Let us _assume_ Odette ended up being a squib. Is that a reason to alienate her, mistreat her and abuse her, favoring one twin over the other? Why, I do recall the many extravagant dinners Dorea arranged, and your uncle, Marius Black was a regular guest at Potter Manor, hmm? Your mother never treated her older brother, who so happened to be a squib, any differently unlike the remaining Blacks who perceived him as a plague on the Black Family Tapestry. Charlus, Dorea and Marius would be _ashamed_ of you and of the way you treated your alleged squib daughter!"

And that was the final blow that consumed James Potter with overwhelming guilt and horror; the moment where he finally confronted his abysmal attitude toward the precious daughter he promised to protect, love and cherish upon her birth twelve years ago. Unfortunately, James was at a loss and knew that there was no fixing his sins in regards to Odette, the daughter who fiercely and unwaveringly hated him and always looked upon him with palpable malice.

 _Oh, what have I done?!_

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

A month had gone by after the disastrous Transfiguration class, and the war between Severus Snape and James Potter had reached fruition after a lengthy meeting with the Headmaster and nothing of importance happened. Professor Potter still treated Gryffindors with blatant favoritism; however, he managed to treat Slytherins adequately, awarding points appropriately and adding excitement to his interesting lessons. Despite the snakes' unified hatred regarding James Potter, even they had to admit that he was a prodigy in Transfiguration.

Divus and Shiva, Odette's familiars would spend most of the time away from her, scoping the castle for anything newsworthy, and a fair few secrets as per their Mistress's instructions. The seven Slytherins' bond solidified with every passing day and they even began a small group study, _especially_ for Defense since, as per Daphne's prediction at Diagon Alley, the pillock was a charlatan and a total disgrace to all wizards out of there who spent most of his classes acting his fictional scenes from his novels in class or passing over quizzes regarding his personal life and preferences. The only unfortunate information Odette managed to memorize from Defense, was that Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite color was _lilac_!

The moment Odette had been patiently waiting for arrived two weeks before Halloween; Professor Snape approached the redhead, informing her that the Headmaster inquired after her presence and that he has a fondness for 'Cockroach Clusters', much to her amused disgust. Muttering the password, Odette squared her shoulders for the long overdue confrontation and ascended the moving staircase.

Staring into twinkling azure eyes, Odette could distinguish the major difference between him and Grindelwald. While impersonating the Headmaster, the redhead detected the genuine evil behind half-moon spectacles and a charade, but upon gazing into the true Headmaster, she easily identified the genuine honesty, fondness and pureness serenely staring back at her; much to her amusement, Odette didn't sense any probing against her solid Occlumency shields, proving that the Headmaster actually had morals and a good sense about him.

"Miss Potter," Albus began, "Firstly, I would like to personally thank you for rescuing me and giving back my freedom. I shall never be able to repay you. Secondly, I apologize for postponing meeting you, I admit I was fervently ashamed of the actions my impersonator doled out against you. I thought perhaps you may blame me for Grindelwald's sins." Odette detected nothing but honesty and she frowned, not liking the fact that she was sympathizing with the old man; looking at the true Albus Dumbledore, Odette admitted she didn't blame him at all, the man was locked behind bars for eighteen years… eighteen _long_ years in solitude, living unjustly and merely existing with each passing day hoping for freedom… who was Odette to treat him ruthlessly.

"I don't blame you, Headmaster," Odette brusquely stated; Divus sang a melodic tune in her head, and she knew that she could trust him with a few secrets. "To be honest, I thought I had a vendetta with Albus Dumbledore and I spent years imagining your demise. I planned to slowly crush you and take away everything you hold dear: the respect you were treated with, your many esteemed positions in the Wizarding World, your title as Headmaster…"she ticked each one off with her fingers, "and then, I discovered I had a vendetta with the wrong man; that I spent years of my life holding a grudge and planning many scenarios regarding an entirely different person. I triumphed by paying Grindelwald back for all the suffering he caused me, freeing you was merely an act of kindness. I couldn't have your unfair incarceration on my conscious; I did what was right, so no offense, Headmaster, but liberating you was done for purely selfish reasons."

Albus Dumbledore however, continued nodding his head and smiling benignly at her throughout the entirety of her speech, not at all disturbed or affronted by her detached tone, lifeless eyes and caustic words. Interlacing his fingers, Albus positioned them underneath his chin and gazed at Odette as though he were looking right through her soul, "Decades ago, a boy by the name of Tom Riddle attended Hogwarts. He was an orphan and he was bitter over the fact that he grew up in an orphanage, however, upon entering the castle, he changed entirely. He portrayed charm, an ingenious mind and was very charismatic; all members of the staff and Armando Dippet, the Headmaster back then, were enthralled by him and favored him – _all but myself_. He became prefect and Head Boy and spent his years searching for the truth of his parentage. It wasn't until he connected the dots: he shared a certain affinity with Salazar Slytherin; both were Parselmouths."

Cocking her head to the side, Odette bluntly uttered, "I'm assuming there's a reason for the illumination regarding Voldemort's background?"

Azure orbs twinkled tenfold when Odette showed no fear or hesitance in uttering Tom's moniker and he found himself enjoying the redhead's presence, "You see, Miss Potter. You remind me _so much_ of him. The aloofness, the impassive expression and blunt words, your detachment to your emotions and the lethal glare I heard so much about. You are cold, ruthless, cunning, and according to the rumors, downright terrifying, yet you radiate such potent power and I detect a brilliant mind as well. Also, both you and Tom share in common an unhappy childhood. However, I sense purity and sense of good in you that Tom never had. And despite your similarities, my familiar trusted you with my safety and for some reason, _I_ personally trust you."

Rendered speechless, the frigid redhead scrutinized the wizened Headmaster, unable to come up with a perfect response to such a shocking announcement. How often the man was able to sit in casual conversation with people who considered him a friend, she had no inkling. Albus Dumbledore was the figure-head of the Wizarding World in many ways, and Odette thought that that must be a rather lonely position to be in, especially after existing eighteen years of tormented solitude. Deciding to offer an olive branch, Odette revealed, "Nicholas Flamel took me on as his apprentice…"

That was the start of a beautiful alliance, one that held many fruitful benefits for the future.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

"The Chamber of Secret has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next _Mudbloods_!" fourth year, Wilbert Macnair exclaimed with utmost glee, dull brown eyes flickering towards the known Muggleborns in the vicinity.

Roars of outrage met his insult as many lions, badgers and eagles retorted with heat; the bigoted Slytherins joined the fray and it wasn't until Argus Filch stepped forward with bulging eyes, did the commotion suddenly wan, all eyes solely fixated on the insane caretaker cradling the immobile Mrs. Norris in his arms. The Headmaster quite calmly informed him that the blasted cat who so happened to be the bane of the many denizens of Hogwarts' existence, wasn't dead, but merely petrified, and therein began the eventful anomaly of second year.

As Yule approached, not only was Mrs. Norris petrified, but so was first year Gryffindor, Colin Creevey, a known sycophantic adulator to the Boy-Who-Lived; second year Hufflepuff, Justin Finch-Fletchley was found alongside the Gryffindor ghost who had lost its pearly sheen in the attack and resembled a black fog; third year Ravenclaw Missy Liames and a few other half-bloods. Two weeks before the students were to depart for the Yule holidays and two Gryffindors, three Hufflepuffs, and five Ravenclaws were secluded in the Hospital Wing, awaiting the mandrakes to reach maturity so that Professor Snape could start concocting the Mandrake Restorative Draught and cure them. Not one Slytherin had been attacked and become victim to the mysterious Heir of Slytherin, therefore alienating them further from the rest of their peers and becoming the target of incessant bullying.

Unlike the majority of the gleeful Slytherins who were reveling in the palpable fear oozing throughout the castle, Odette Potter was furious and not at all ecstatic with the events taking place in Hogwarts that year. A metaphorical thundercloud could be seen looming over the enraged Ice Queen's head and only her six loyal friends, Rhea and Astoria were exempted from her wrath and immune to her menacing disposition.

Odette Arielle Potter was _Lady Slytherin!_ The fact that somebody was masquerading around as Slytherin's Heir, attacking students left and right, dousing the castle in fear, promoting bigotry, and basically encouraging a smear campaign towards the _Noble and most Ancient House of Slytherin_ , was unforgiveable and treason against her House, against her Ladyship! As the Lady of Slytherin, the act of capturing the charlatan impersonator had to be dealt with by her; once she unmasked the perpetrator disgracing the Noble and most Ancient House of Slytherin, he or she would be begging for death.

Upon Mrs. Norris' petrification, Odette sent Divus to Ragnok with an envoy to aid her in her plight; as a Friend to the Goblin Nation, Ragnok promptly replied with a helpful missive, claiming Slytherin's vaults were barren of journals and such, but that they were probably all hoarded in the Chamber of Secrets, guarded by his thousand year old familiar, which was most probably a basilisk. Upon receiving the glaringly obvious clue, Shiva offered to scour the entire castle for the fabled Chamber; problem was, Yule was rapidly approaching and Shiva had yet to achieve any fruitful results.

Worst case scenario, Shiva would remain in the castle during Yule and hopefully, upon Odette's return, the mystery would be cracked and the basilisk would efficiently be halted in its tracks before a student actually achieved eye-contact and died. No, Odette, as _Lady_ Slytherin, would not allow her house to be looked down upon any longer; its reputation had already been tarnished by Voldemort, and it was her job to recover its high standing to the Wizarding World.

Little did she know, Theodore Nott held most of the answers to her dilemma and had been a nervous wreck ever since the first attack; a battle had been waging in the recess of his mind… loyalty to his ruthless father who risked his safety at school, or loyalty to his best friends, particularly since Odette seemed to be the most affected out of all the Slytherins regarding the attacks for some unknown reason. Theodore never had an authority figure to look up to; to idolize; his beloved mother died when he was merely three years old, and the rumors were that his own father murdered Elisa Nott in cold blood.

Theo had always been a moral boy, much to his father's disappointment and utmost disgust; he never agreed with the bigotry that Magical Britain was famous for, and unknown to Rigel Nott, but his only son had no plans in becoming a Death Eater and swearing fealty to the Dark Lord. Theodore had always been an introvert, and spent most of his days in the library drowning in a plethora of books as a means of escaping his father's crude wrath and the loveless household he had been raised in. Narcissa Malfoy fondly confided in him that he was the embodiment of his dearly departed mother and to always be proud for carrying a huge part of Elisa with him.

Theodore Nott promised himself, after returning from Yule, if there was another attack, then he would come clean and confide in his six friends; he will not allow anybody to die due to his father's cruelty; besides, the mere fact that the traitorous coward who sold Odette out to the Dark Lord resided in the castle alongside them, turned his insides. One more month… he'll give it one more month…

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

 _A familiar woman sat alone at the bar she owned, drowning her sorrows in a lineup of five tequila shots, tears streaming down her mocha complexion like rivulets as sobs wracked her body. Her wild raven frizzes bounced as she suddenly pivoted around upon hearing footsteps approaching her and red-rimmed hazel orbs widened in terror as_ _ **he**_ _approached her._

" _We were just leaving, I wanted to say goodbye," he tonelessly stated, electric blue eyes narrowing in on her tear-stained face. Turning around in dismissal, though her hands were shaking due to sudden nerves, she flatly replied, "Good to see you again, Damon."_

" _No kiss?" Damon mocked; his tone was biting and his eyes were dilating with anger. Turning around for the third time, she frantically retorted, "I'm full of vervain. I put it in_ _ **everything**_ _I drink."_

 _Cocking his head to the side, Damon smirked, but it held a menacing quality, "And you're telling me this_ _ **why**_ _?"_

" _Lexi was my friend._ _ **How could you**_ _?!" she turned around before inhaling a sharp intake of breath, hands automatically clutching her heart in fear when Damon appeared in front of her, looming over her with apoplectic anger. Hurriedly, she exclaimed, "The tomb_ _ **can**_ _be opened!"_

 _Moving closer to her with deliberate steps, Damon snarled, "You're lying!"_

" _Emily's grimoire, her spellbook," she wildly threw out, backing away from him in utmost terror, eyes flickering over her surroundings as she searched for an escape, "If you know how she closed the tomb, the reversal process will be in her book. You_ _ **can**_ _open that tomb."_

" _Where is this book?" Damon demanded; there was a hint of urgency in his tone yet his face remained stoic and his electric blue eyes were still narrowed in rage and a hint of … betrayal? Shaking her head frantically, she stammered, "I-I-"_

" _You have_ _ **no**_ _idea," he interrupted her, a mocking quality in his words. Placing her hands on his chest to halt his movement, she implored him with wide, tearful eyes, "No. I'm telling the truth!"_

 _Nodding his head in sorrow, Damon sighed, "And I believe you. My dear, sweet Bree," he caressed her face with the back of his knuckles in a tender fashion, "That's why I'm_ _ **almost**_ _sorry." And without any warning, he thrust his free hand into Bree's chest, prompting an agonized grunt from the mourning witch who stared at him and managed to utter her final words in raspy tone, "You… won't get away with it. Sh-she'll fi-find out… and she'll k-kill you…"_

 _Damon scoffed and rolled his eyes cynically as her expressive hazel eyes turned vacant and she rattled out one last anguished breath. Damon extricated his hand from Bree's chest and carelessly tossed her heart onto the ground beside her dead body. Wiping his bloody hands on a napkin, Damon grabbed his leather jacket from one of the stools and left._

Emerald orbs abruptly snapped open and a loud gasp escaped through parted petal-shaped lips. Odette hastened to jump out of her bed, Bree's death replaying quite vividly in her head and she immediately donned on her robe. Feeling quite claustrophobic and a frantic mess, the enraged redhead soundlessly departed the Slytherin Common Room and invisibly stalked the empty castle trying to comprehend the vivid dream that plagued her mind.

It was quite obvious that her dream would be occurring in the future as Bree looked older and her bar had yet to be remodeled as portrayed in the dream. Damon – that bastard vampire who tried to compel her last Christmas, tossed her warning away like an idiot – Damon killed Bree, and if she understood the dream correctly, then Damon _also_ killed Lexi! That smug, overconfident vampire _murdered_ two of her best friend… yes, she had her Slytherin friends and she was starting to love them in her own way, but no matter what, Lexi, Lee and Bree will always be her first friends, and her family, and nobody, _NOBODY_ harms her family. After Zelda, the redhead vowed to never lose a loved one again, and she'd be damned if she was about to let Damon eliminate two of her dearest, most cherished friends.

But… what if her dream was merely that… _a dream_? What if she was working herself over a simple nightmare?

Suddenly, she heard the castle beckoning her to the seventh floor; as Lady Slytherin and Lady Ravenclaw, owner of half of Hogwarts, Odette already knew of her ability to correspond with the sentient castle, therefore, the redhead immediately acquiesced and in a daze, ascended the seventh floor, not pausing in her footsteps until she reached a ludicrous tapestry of trolls learning ballet. A copper handle materialized in front of her and she strode inside, gaping unattractively at the misty, transparent sheen of an unearthly, beautiful woman floating in front of her with a breathtaking smile on her visage in the middle of a vacant chamber.

"Lady Slytherin-Ravenclaw, at last we meet," the woman spoke in a mystical, ringing nuance that sounded distinctively like-

"Are you, are you Lady Hogwarts?" Odette eloquently blurted out, shocked to her very core. Smiling benignly, Lady Hogwarts nodded her head, "Yes, my Lady. I haven't been seen by a soul in centuries. Too long has the castle been abandoned by the Founders' progenies."

Frowning in bemusement, Odette couldn't help but point out, "But Voldemort was Slytherin's Heir."

"Do not speak of that abomination," Lady Hogwarts' face morphed into one of unadulterated rage and contempt, "Yes, he was the Heir of Slytherin, however, that _boy_ did not claim his Lordship at Gringotts, he never made it official, unlike you. Now," she suddenly squared her shoulders and beamed at the perplexed redhead, "we must tarry. Tomorrow you disembark to London for the Yule Holiday, you need your rest. I sensed your distress and confusion and appeared to set your mind at ease and share your burden. What ails you so?"

Uncertainly, Odette confided in Lady Hogwarts of her confounding dream; the assassin felt somehow _mortified_ by her actions, unable to believe that she, for the first time in her life, was sharing her nightmares to somebody and simply, Odette felt juvenile. However, Lady Hogwarts adopted a solemn and professional mien and when she spoke, her words where laced with importance, "Young Lady, you have done right by informing me of your latest conundrum. For you have not concocted an elaborate night terror. I am surprised of your unawareness, my Lady. I would have suspected you to have visited the many abodes of your Ravenclaw ancestors and discovered the many secrets of Rowena Ravenclaw."

Odette felt properly chastised and squirmed uncomfortably in her standing position as she gazed into Lady Hogwarts' rebuking visage. Shaking her head with a smile, Lady Hogwarts waved a hand in the air, "Never mind, I shall illuminate you. Rowena Ravenclaw had the gift of premonition, my Lady. Rowena had the inborn ability to receive well-played, clear visions of the past _and_ the future, as well as events that would occur hundreds and thousands of years into the future. Her eldest daughter, Helena Ravenclaw, skipped that certain trait, but her son, Robin, did not, and through Robin Ravenclaw's descendants, her unique gift thrived. Some descendants, like Helena Ravenclaw, did not inherit the gift of premonition, while some inherited strong instincts or a weak version of premonition, such as clairvoyance, thus making them a Seer. _You_ , you on the other hand, are the first descendant since Robin Ravenclaw, to have the inborn gift of premonition."

Absolutely gobsmacked, Odette tried processing the life-altering and phenomenal discovery. "But, why now?"

"My Lady, Rowena Ravenclaw first started receiving premonitions at the early age of eight, while her son Robin activated his inborn trait at the age of twelve, like you. It is perfectly normal, and you must learn to adapt and hone your gift as you will start receiving premonitions randomly," Lady Hogwarts solemnly informed her.

At that moment, Odette made two vows; first, a visit to the Ravenclaw Library would take precedence; and second, protect Lexi and Bree! Her premonition would _not_ come to pass if she had any say in it; that cocksure vampire would rue the day he decided to murder her family.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

Odette spent the Yule Holidays alternating between spending time with Harry, who, now that James and Lily Potter were teaching at Hogwarts, spent most of his time at Black Manor being raised by Sirius and Angelica; whenever the redhead wasn't with her baby brother who meant the world to her, she'd alternate between sleeping over at the Malfoy, Lestrange, Zabini, Greengrass or Davis Manors. She had yet to visit Lexi and Lee since they were spending the first week of her holidays in Spain for a romantic getaway, and Bree was with her new Beau, Malcolm or whatever, and so, the twelve-year-old avoided the Potters and the Blacks at all costs, bonding with the six Slytherins and introducing them to ever cheerful Harry.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

It was the afternoon of December 26th that Odette Arielle Potter's past came back to haunt her.

A walking distance away from the Leaky Cauldron, there was a secretive underground Wizarding District that only the rich and respectable pureblood families knew off. Lucius and Narcissa invited her to join them for a leisure day at the exclusive District and the redhead readily agreed, excited to spend the day with her friends, who were quickly becoming family to her.

Aaron, Draco, Blaise and Rhea were waiting for Odette in front of the Leaky Cauldron with their respective parents; the emotionless redhead – who was starting to accept positive emotions and those of love and kinship and successfully shedding all that had been indoctrinated into her in the Red Room – Shadow Traveled behind an ally and sauntered toward the congregated group in front of her when suddenly, a familiar accented voice resounded from behind her, immediately turning her blood cold and sending a shiver down her spine.

"Vell, vell, vell, you have been most difficult to find, moy malen'kiy ubiytsa."

Slowly pivoting in her spot, Odette's eyes widened in a mixture of fear, anger and hatred at the two men who aided in making her life a living hell, and the two men she had always dreaded locating her and forcing her back to Russia.

"Zdravstvuyte, Odette."

The Petrovich brothers, Pyotr and Pavel had finally caught up to her.

 **A/N:** **Ahhh! Cliffhanger. Don't kill me! LOL!**

 **Russian Translation:**

 **Moy malen'kiy ubiytsa: My little killer.**

 **Zdravstvuyte: Hello.**

 **Soo… what did you think of this chapter? Already I am halfway done with the Chamber of Secrets; there have been many important discoveries in this chapter, so I hope you enjoyed it! XD**

 **What did you think of Odette's premonition? The song that played, coupled with Damon killing Bree always played on my heartstrings! :( …And James… will he finally change his ways… will he actually feel remorse and beg for forgiveness? Will Odette forgive James…?**

 **What about the Petrovich brothers? I mean, c'mon, you didn't think we actually saw the end of them when Odette escaped the Red Room, did ya? ;) What do you think of that huge surprise… Da Da** _ **Dummm**_ **! XD**

 **Next chapter I will try and finish the Chamber of Secrets. Gilderoy Lockhart, James and Lily Potter, Sirius and Angelica Black, the unearthing of the Chamber of Secrets, the Basilisk, the Diary, Peter Pettigrew… and a lot more to come… yeesh, so much to look forward to. Can't wait! ;)**

 **R &R.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **I am sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. I will try and have the next chapter out soon… I have no excuse, but can only profusely apologize as I am** _ **extremely**_ **overwhelmed since I am writing over twenty stories at the same time and I am trying to have them all updated and posted quickly for all my wonderful and loyal readers, all of which inspires me to never quit and become better!**

 **Thank you for your support! Truly!**

 **Chapter 26:**

Six years ago, an assassin emerged, and her first solo act was murdering two of her own to escape her oppressors who desired to use her as their personal weapon, and coveted her as nothing but a killing machine, meant to abide by their strict rules and enact their bidding. Six years ago, Shadow Swan surfaced and instilled fear in every city she targeted, leaving her mark on her innumerous victims' foreheads, ensuring she was never forgotten, and the threat of her existence lived in perpetuity. Throughout those six years, many referred to her as a heartless murderer, a plague, a sadistic killer – rapists and pedophiles dwindled, the air was saturated with terror, and Shadow Swan became renowned as a force of nature, an assassin to be feared, for whoever turned up on her radar, inevitably ended up dead, slaughtered in the most excruciating and gory method.

Only few knew her true identity, and those who did were explicitly revealed by Shadow Swan herself.

Children were privy to a plethora of frightening tales about the cruel, lethal and cold-blooded assassin by terrified parents, and Shadow Swan was a recurring nightmare, never failing to make an appearance in the young ones' dreams. None knew that Shadow Swan herself was human, a fellow child who had been severely wronged, brainwashed, and molded into the monster they all hear about today; none knew that Shadow Swan herself had recurring nightmares of her own, featuring three particular monsters, each of whom had a major role in destroying her mind, defiling her body, corrupting her innocence, and tarnishing her soul, and while Shadow Swan _never_ grew complacent, never in her wildest dreams did she expect two of her tormentors to materialize right before her eyes in a corporeal form, as opposed to in her dream state.

Hearing their voices, inspecting their distinctive features, acknowledging their presence, and being in close proximity to them, triggered potent fear and Odette's heart was drumming aggressively against her ribcage, frozen in her nightmare that came to life, and there was only one mantra on rewind: _they found me, they found me, they found me, they found me, they found me, they found me_ …

Odette may be a cold-blooded, unmerciful killer who actually reveled in fear which was her own personal brand of drug, and relished in each one of her kills, prolonging her victims' death to enjoy their anguished screams and tormented pain like the sadist they all speculated her to be. Odette may be feared by hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions, but at the end of the day, Odette Arielle Potter was human, she bled red like _everyone_ _else_ , and that fear made her human… it was part of her humanity.

She didn't know how long she stood in a petrified state, trying her hardest to mask her horror and the trembling of her limbs, while the two sons of bitches cruelly smirked at her, their eyes vacant of any emotion, until she heard Divus' soothing song trill in her mind, awakening her from her trance, and pushing her to overcome her fear. Recovering her bearings, she unconsciously slipped back into Russian tongue as she confronted them with a pronounced sneer marring her beautiful visage, "Pyotr. Pavel. Pochemu ty zdes'?!"

It was quite hilarious really; the one everyone feared, and the one who easily instilled fear into everyone's heart, could be terrified to death. Odette magically and physically adroit, with the ability to murder someone with the _simple_ flick of her wrist, disarm an opponent blindfolded, snap necks with her supple thighs, knowledgeable in killing with nothing but a fork as her weapon of choice in forty-four different methods, with hundreds of spells in her growing repertoire, and last but not least, could subtly teleport away by shadow-traveling – and yet, Odette feared two magic-less men. It sounded ludicrous. Completely ridiculous! However, she was still human, and Pyotr and Pavel Petrovich inspired fear within her, they have ever since her induction into the Red Room where she was the butt of their ruthlessness and torment; their personal and most favored punching bag. Her reaction was natural, and instinctive to her, ingrained into her system since the malleable age of four.

Pavel glared at her in vehement disapproval, and he spat out, " _Insubordinate_! Such _insolence_! You dare speak to us vith ill-manners! Calling us by our given names as zhough we were equals! As zhough you are OUR superiors!" Pyotr however, reacted differently as he threw his head backwards and laughed loudly, an alien sound that didn't belong with his cold features and glacial tongue. "Calm, brother. Our malen'kiy ubiytsa is nearing puberty, _no_? I hear zhat teenagers are very testy and defiant vith sharp tongues and abysmal attitudes," Pyotr grinned, patting Pavel's shoulder in a camaraderie fashion, his cold orbs never once leaving Odette's impassive face, "Nevertheless, dorogaya moya, in response to your question, we are here for _you_."

Like a predator cornering a prey, Pyotr took a step towards her, eliciting Odette to automatically take two steps back, "Do not be frightened, Odette. You vill of course, be punished for your insubordination, and for ze murders of two of my best assassins in Berlin six years ago-"

"Like hell I will, Pyotr!" she sneered, recovering her backbone, expelling a harsh breath from her nostrils. Pavel snarled once again, but was immediately halted by Pyotr who was now staring at Odette with fascination, almost as though she were an insect he was itching to decipher and subsequently dissect, "Come, come, dorogoya moya, you did not honestly zhink zhat my brother and I would just _allow you_ your freedom, did you?" he mocked, cocking his head to the side, a Cheshire grin forming on his lips as though Odette thinking she could escape them was a laughing matter, "One does not simply _leave_ zhe Red Room, Odette! You know zhat. Do not disappoint me. One only escapes zhe Red Room in death, like your dear friend, _Zelda_ ," he purred, his cold orbs glittering with glee as he paused to inspect her reaction to his words.

Odette recoiled backwards as though she were slapped. Zelda had always been a sore spot to her, and to hear her name uttered so cruelly and used as an example by the same man, NO, the same _monster_ that ordered her, forced her to kill, it broke her further, and while her heart constricted with pain, her temper unleashed, opening like the floodgates, erratic, wild and thirsting for blood to be spilled.

"You've become so _veak_!" Pavel spat the word as though it were an expletive, his face contorting in disgust, "Look at you! Allowing human emotions to impact you. Have we taught you nothing?! Disgusting creature. Takoye bezobraziye."

Ignoring the caustic brother, emerald orbs pierced Pyotr, "How did you find me?"

"Oh, come, come," Pyotr suddenly looked disappointed – the bipolar lunatic – and inspected her face for any signs of mockery, "Odette, if you did not give us zhe slip in Berlin, you would have been trained in zhe intricacies of hacking and monitoring. I had my personal hacker monitor the CCTVs in all cities, world-wide," a smug expression took over his visage, "As well as zhe police database. I vill admit," he grudgingly divulged, "Zhat it took Pavel and I _years_ to discover you as zhe assassin Shadow Swan, quite ingenious if I may say so," he winked. "After zhat, you were found to be a current visitor to zhis particular street, and voila, here ve are."

Divus sent an instant warning in their mental link, hurriedly exclaiming that Rodolphus and Rabastan were approaching them in concern. Numbly, she wracked her head for the camouflaging spell Loki taught her a few weeks back to change the Lestrange brothers' appearance to the Petrovich brothers. She would not risk their safety and allow them to recognize them in the future, after all, magic was inferior when compared with guns and the Petrovich brothers weren't to be easily trifled with.

"Odette?" Rabastan frowned at the two Russians, "Is everything okay?"

Rodolphus stood in a protective stance beside Odette, his face morphing into his menacing Death Eater glare. Odette faked a smile at them and curtly retorted, her emerald orbs never leaving Pyotr's interested gaze, "Yes, sir. Lost tourists. I was just giving them directions to the Corinthia Hotel." The double meaning wasn't lost, and while Pavel grunted in annoyance, Pyotr had a menacing smirk as he courteously dipped his head, his cold eyes never leaving the entrancing emeralds that were ablaze with malice, "Spasibo, little one."

As the Petrovich brothers disappeared from their line of vision, Odette found herself on the receiving end of two disbelieving stares, and she inwardly winced. The Lestranges were adept in the art of deception and could easily decipher truths from falsehoods, and it was obvious that they didn't believe her lie for even a second. "Odette-"

Odette cut Rodolphus off, unable to bear the concern and worry in his gaze that seemed almost paternal. "I'm sorry for making you wait, but something's come up, I need to leave." And without another word, she turned around and ran off, leaving the calling out of her name to mingle with the winter breeze and blow away into oblivion.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

It was a lackluster day like any other in Asgard; the All-Father was ensconced in the throne room communicating tedious matters of importance with the legislative body, Frigga was concocting remedies with Healer Eir, one of the Queen's hobbies to pass the time. Thor, on the other hand, was as always, sparring with the vitriolic Lady Sif and the Warrior Three, and Loki had plucked a book from the majestic library and to humor his brother, sat in one of his favorite alcoves, where he could enjoy the refreshing breeze and watch his brother boastfully showoff his skill with both, a sword and Mjölnir.

"Loki! Come spar with us," Thor boomed out as he disarmed Fandral and bellowed a few hearty chuckles, offering a hand to his fallen friend. Sif scoffed, cynically staring at Thor and then Loki, "Leave Loki be to practice battling with cowardice strategies. He has no right to wield a sword, anyhow."

Fandral and Hogun shifted uncomfortably, especially when Thor chuckled heartily, not recognizing the biting quality in Lady Sif's tone, nor realizing she was not being kind to his brother, but insulting the youngest prince of Asgard. Volstagg laughed alongside Thor, and Sif squared her shoulders in pride, smirking slyly at Loki who was clenching his fists and gritting his teeth in irritation. However, before the silver-tongue could send back an eloquent riposte, a ruby bullet flew straight into his arms, a small face buried deeply into his chest, and he found his arms full of his favorite Seidhr, abruptly ceasing the echoing laughter in the courtyard.

"Odette?" Loki coaxed, but to no avail. In response, the young redhead buried herself deeper in his strong, protective arms. Thor, Fandral and Hogun quickly approached them while Sif and Volstagg, both of whom had never took a liking to Odette and vice versa, remained rooted in their spot, observing from afar. It was only when Loki noticed that her entire body was trembling, did his irritated mood turn disconcerted, and he gently shook her, "Grænn gimsteinn minn. You are alarming me. Whatever happened?"

In a painstakingly slow movement, Odette finally lifted her gaze to meet Loki's concerned visage and she muttered in a terrified hush, "They're here, Loki. They, _they_ found m-me!"

"Spýta **-** eldur, _who_ found you?" Fandral urged, trading concerned frowns with a grim Hogun and a baffled Thor. Odette's wild gaze traveled to each of the four men, "The Red Room. Pyotr and Pavel Petrovich-, they found me!" Loki's entire body stiffened and he clutched Odette tighter, molding her into his chest in a protective stance as he let out a spine-chilling growl.

Thor's normally jubilant face darkened in recognition; those two mortals harmed his Fjársjóður, prompting the penalty of death by Asgardian justice! Raising Mjölnir above his head, he snarled, "Let them come! I will pummel them with my hammer. Teach them what happens when they mess with one of our own."

"Never fear, Spýta **-** eldur, you shall come to no harm by those despicable mortals," Hogun promised her.

A collective agreement had been made that Odette would be spending the rest of her Yule break in Asgard. Despite the circumstances, Frigga was most delighted and immediately whisked away to arrange Odette's personal chamber that had been refurbished and designed as her own living quarters. For the last week of her break, Odette sparred with Thor and Hogun, caused mischief with Fandral – their main victim being bitch-faced Sif, practiced nature magicks with Frigga, and studied with Loki as well as plotted a way to deal with the Petrovich brothers for the meantime. In a surprising turn of events, when Odette confided in the royal family of her inborn gift of premonition, a proud Odin took her under his wing, adamant in honing her gift, especially when receiving visions in public, since the All-Father himself was warred with visions, too.

As always, time flew by at a rapid speed when having fun, and before the ruby-haired witch knew it, a day remained before she had to disembark the Hogwarts Express. Holding hands, Loki held Odette in a firm grip and transported themselves into Midgard.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

"She von't come, brother," Pavel growled out, pacing the suite in apoplectic fury. They had postponed their stay in England at the very hotel Odette had subtly mentioned in passing, believing her to stop by shortly afterward – _that_ had been a week ago. Pyotr sighed, his cold orbs reflected the violent flames in the fireplace, "Patience, Pavel. Odette vill come. I am sure of it."

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Odette's cold voice called out from behind them; before the Petrovich brothers could fully pivot around and arm themselves with weapons, their vision turned black, and they faintly recognized their body hitting the ground before they succumbed to an unconscious state. "Nice, Loki," the redhead beamed at the Asgardian Prince who stood beside her, a menacing grin contorting his handsome features as he stared at the unconscious brothers with utmost loathing he could muster.

Loki approached their fallen forms, nose wrinkling in disgust as he flexed his fingers, itching to end their abominable lives for harming his gem. "Odette, are you sure you don't want to kill them?" and while Loki was inquiring after her opinion, he was imploring her to allow him permission to murder them in cold-blood. Odette grumbled, unable to help but add in a few sharp kicks to each of their manhood, "I have been fantasizing their death for seven, nearly eight years now, and as much as I would _love_ to get rid of them for good, I know the way they think, Loki. They wouldn't have come to London without some contingency plans in case they were abducted or killed. No. for now, it's best if we just erase their minds of meeting me and putting them under the effects of a compulsion charm to stop their search for me in England," she sorrowfully concluded.

Thor, Loki, Fandral and Hogun were quite adamant in killing them and eliminating any future threats of their existence, and while Odette wholeheartedly agreed with them, wanting nothing more than to cross out a few names she had a vendetta against from her little black book, Odette was an assassin and a trained spy, and she learned to allow her brain to override her impulsive behavior. After all, Odette had been one of the few trusted girls in the Red Room, included with the Petrovich brothers many contingency plans, therefore, she knew how they thought, she knew their style and many methods – Pyotr more than Pavel, since the elder Petrovich took a more hands-on approach and interest to her many sessions of torture and combat lessons.

No – to best the Petrovich brothers, they needed to be killed in their own territory.

"It is done," Loki sighed, rearranging them into their respective bedrooms. He then embraced the redhead and tenderly stroked her hair, "If you need me, all you have to do is call my name and I will appear to you. At any time, and anywhere, I will find you, and if not me, then call for Heimdall. Take care, Grænn gimsteinn minn."

Consecutively, Loki transported himself back to Asgard where his parents, Thor, Fandral and Hogun were eagerly waiting for hopefully good news, and Odette shadow-traveled into her room at Potter Manor, were an angry James was impatiently waiting to confront his wayward daughter once and for all.

Little did they know, they may have gotten Pyotr and Pavel out of the way for the meantime, but it was _not_ the end… merely the _beginning_.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

Odette was about to turn in for the night when the door to her bedroom slammed open and an enraged yet worried James Potter appeared in her line of vision. Glaring heatedly at his audacity, the redhead snapped, "It's impolite to enter somebody's room without permission, James!"

"You're not somebody and I'm not anyone, Odette," James retorted with equal heat, his eyes scrutinizing her, making sure that she was unharmed, "You're my _daughter_ , and I'm _your father_! And this is _my_ house! While you live under my roof, you abide by my rules! I have been worried sick, spending the past week sleeping in front of the fireplace waiting for you to show up! Where have you been, young lady?"

There was a brief moment of silence as Odette's expression turned from disbelief to amusement and she chuckled dryly, "You're joking right? Is this some elaborate hoax you and your wife cooked up? What's with the sudden concern James? Got bored of your precious Boy-Who-Lived already?" not giving James any time to come up with an appropriate response or scolding, she carried on, "Don't fool yourself. I may share your blood, but you are not, nor will you _ever be_ my father. How I come and go is none of your business, as for me living under the same roof as _you_ ," she sneered, "Don't flatter yourself. The only reason I remain here is for Harry and Harry _only_. Once he's old enough to start Hogwarts, I'm out of here!"

At the end of her cruel speech, James was aware that his daughter was a complete stranger to him. It was a sharp slap to the face and he cursed himself for not noticing the perceptible change until now. Her accent was foreign – it didn't resemble the British lilt, but a mixture of American dialect and something stronger, maybe Bulgarian or Russian, and he was desperate to know why and how. Where had she been during her childhood? He was ashamed to admit that he didn't notice Odette's disappearance, too overwhelmed with being the father of the Boy-Who-Lived and busy with auror duty, but he faintly recalled Daisy hysterically weeping to him and Lily that she couldn't find Odette.

 _Where had she been?_

Unconsciously, he took a step forward, eyes widening at the lack of emotion in her eyes and her stone-cold face, and a shiver trickled down his spine. Absentmindedly, he heard the many rumors this year at Hogwarts as the Transfiguration Professor, and most students, even seventh years, feared his daughter, claiming that she had a vindictive streak and a poisonous tongue. How could he have been so blind? If it weren't for Albus' rebuke, James would have remained happily oblivious.

"What happened to you?" James finally whispered, noticing his daughter's eyes widen a fraction, too subtle for anyone to notice – but he did. "You have an accent," he began musing out loud, realizing that with every word he uttered, Odette took a step back in response, "You don't travel by floo and yet you vanish from your room and materialize back in without our knowledge, in fact, if it weren't for the wards tied to my magical signature as Lord Potter, I would still be waiting for you down in the drawing room… you disappeared… after we returned from the ball at the Ministry, I don't recall seeing you until-, until your Hogwarts letter arrived. You- you're a prodigy when it comes to magic, you recognized Grindelwald when we were all oblivious for _eighteen_ years, and-, somehow, you rescued Albus from Nurmengard." He ceased processing his words out loud to stare questioningly into his daughter's face, and for the first time in a long, long time, James bore witness to her beautiful emeralds gleaming with emotion.

"I don't know _what_ you are babbling on about, but I want you to get out of my room," she sucked in a shaky breath, " _Now_." But James stubbornly shook his head, and took a huge step forward, his heart clenching in anguish when she reciprocated a step back, farther away from his reach, "No, no, I am your father, and I know, _God_ Odette, I know I have been a horrible father to you and you hate me," his voice was choked with tears and he struggled to keep his composure, "And I'm sorry. I'll do anything to earn your forgiveness. I want to know my daughter, please, allow me the chance to be the best father I can be. Please."

Odette turned around, not wanting to portray herself as weak in front of the man who was supposed to love her, nurture her and protect her, but instead aided in tormenting her in a way worse that Ivan Vanko, because- he was her father! The man she had looked up to and starved of his attention. "You can't just barge in here, after twelve years of ignoring me, and _abusing_ me and hating me, demanding for a chance! You lost any chance of being my father when you dragged me here, to this very room, and hurt me after the Ministry ball. You don't _get_ another chance with me. GET. OUT!"

Slumping in defeat, James turned away, ignoring the tears streaming down his face, but before he closed the door behind him, he left her with a solemn promise, "One day Odette, be in a week, a month, a year or ten years from now, I _will_ earn your forgiveness. I'm not giving up, not now, not when I was finally awakened to my cruelty and unfairness to you. I-, you may hate me, but I love you, Odette. That will _never_ change."

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

Two months into the second term, and Odette was convinced that her six Slytherin friends were worthy of her trust and friendship. Not once did they inquire over her disappearing act in front of the Leaky Cauldron, or why she stopped visiting them during the last week of their Yule break, and while they would curiously stare at her, they kept their mouths shut and didn't bother prying into her business. The adults were a different matter completely, and Odette was positive she had been the subject to many conversations since Rodolphus and Rabastan were two astute individuals and hadn't easily bought her lie; fortunately, she didn't have to worry about a confrontation until the summer holidays, therefore giving her ample time to come up with a cover story.

Finally, on the second week of March, Shiva slithered toward her with fruitful results concerning the mission she had given her. _ **::Mistress, I sensed a taint of vile magic last night. I followed a girl into the first floor bathroom where the wailing ghost resides.::**_

Intrigued, Odette wasted no time in jumping off her bed and making a beeline toward Moaning Myrtle's bathroom with Shiva coiled tightly around her wrist. **::** _ **Tell me more, Shiva.::**_ _…_ _ **::She wore Gryffindor colors, Mistress, and she hissed in snake-tongue. The sink sunk! It sunk! And she disappeared.::**_

Shiva had found the Chamber of Secrets!

Ignoring the perpetually bemoaning and quite irritating ghost, Odette wasted no time in hissing for the sink to open, before she commanded the appearance of stairs and descended into the grimy pipes. Ignoring the nauseating skeletons of rats crunching in her wake, Odette finally appeared in the fabled chamber, eyes widening in awe at her surroundings. The second Odette set foot into the Chamber and stood before the magnificent statue of Salazar Slytherin, the Slytherin ring of Ladyship glowed and her mind was attacked with an onslaught of information, and she knew what to do.

 _ **::As Lady Slytherin, I command that you show yourself, oh majestic familiar of Salazar Slytherin, greatest of the Founders Four!::**_

The mouth of the statue opened wide, and before her very eyes, the gigantic, poisonous green basilisk slid out of the opening, unaffected by the lethal gaze. The basilisk let out a viciously sibilant hiss and stared down at Odette's resolute gaze with animosity; Odette allowed the potent magic of her Ladyship ring to saturate the air and emerge from her being, and in the blink of an eye, the basilisk's huge head impacted with the ground, in an awkward kneeling position. _**::Lady Slytherin? You are my mistress? You have come to free me from the bindings of my previous, nasty master?::**_

 _ **::Tell me about your previous master?::**_

 _ **::Tom Riddle is his name given at birth, but he fashioned a new name, one he wished would inspire fear; Lord Voldemort.::**_ the basilisk thrashed her tail in a wild manner, aggravated by her words. _**::I was hatched and taken care of by my beloved Master, Salazar Slytherin. I was to be his familiar, and he bequeathed to me the name Indra. I was to guard the secrets in his chamber and protect the fledglings from harm. Centuries later, my master's descendant located the chamber and as the Heir of Slytherin, I was ordered and forced to harm the very fledglings I meant to protect. Unfortunately, I unintentionally killed a young girl in the bathroom, and when Riddle vanished I was pleased, but now, the soul of my previous master took possession of a young fledgling and I am forced to do her bidding.::**_

Odette's blood boiled, raging like an inferno. How dare Voldemort abuse Salazar's familiar to achieve his own twisted agenda. Narrowing it down, the only redheaded Gryffindor that fit Shiva and Indra's description was little, foolish, and sycophantic Ginny Weasley, and despite the fact that she too, could be considered as a victim, Odette knew that she must have done some idiotic action to become possessed by Voldemort in the first place, and she would not rest until she solved the puzzling enigma.

 _ **::Indra, I am the true Lady Slytherin. I wear the ring, I am his legacy, and from now on, you answer to me, and me alone. You are now under**_ **my** _ **protection. What must I do to negate the previous Heir's orders?::**_

Indra's bulbous yellow eyes dilated with excitement and joy. _ **::Mistress protects me! Yes, Lady Slytherin is truly great. You must tie me to your magic, and make me your familiar. I have lived over a thousand years in confined solitary, unfettered to the castle. Just allow my fang to pierce your finger, you shall be immune to my poison, and in extent of all potent venoms.::**_

Odette watched in fascination as the wound instantly healed and Indra's lethal venom meshed with her blood, a vibrant smile appearing on her face. She tenderly stroked Indra's head, suppressing her laughter over the fact __that a ginormous, lethal basilisk with a fatal stare and bite, was actually purring. _ **::Indra, Shiva and I will visit you from now on. I have two other familiars, Shiva::**_ She elevated Shiva so that Indra could better see the Taipan Snake clearly _ **::and Divus, a Daemonion Phoenix, emulating an owl. If this girl possessed by your previous master approaches you, pretend that you are still loyal to him and send word to Shiva who will, in return tell me.::**_

 _ **::Do not leave me alone for long periods of time. It gets lonely.::**_ Indra sadly cried out. Smiling widely, Odette kissed Indra's temple and hissed _ **::Don't worry, I will visit you. I promise. Also, I will have Divus or a house-elf send you raw meat and you are free to travel the forest at your own leisure, just do not kill anyone.::**_

One hour later, Odette joined her fellow Slytherins by the fire in the Common Room, shocking them all with her vibrant smile and cheerful disposition. Daphne, not one to beat around the bush, said, "What's got you smiling like a Hufflepuff?"

"Daphne!" Aaron and Tracey groaned, smacking her lightly. However, the six of them gaped in unadulterated shock at the redhead when she erupted into musical laughter, not at all insulted by the icy blonde's caustic comment. Whipping out her wand, Odette cast a privacy charm and ward around their armchairs and leaned forward in a conspiratorial manner, "I may have solved the Chamber of Secrets dilemma. Therefore, I am in a rare celebratory mood."

"How?" Draco blurted out, and to stress his shock, he rubbed his eardrum to hear properly. Odette smacked him in jest, "Let's just say I had Shiva remain behind during Christmas break and she finally located the entrance to the chamber. I just had a riveting conversation with the basilisk."

Tracey yelped loudly, Daphne's jaw dropped open in an unattractive manner, Theo dropped the library book he had been reading onto Blaise's head as he was sitting on the rug near his armchair and grumbled audibly while massaging his head, and Aaron and Draco were rendered speechless. Odette mentally patted herself on the back for having the foresight to cast a strong privacy ward, for Tracey shot up onto her feet and hysterically screeched, "HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!"

"Or better yet," Aaron scrutinized her expression, "Why are you so effected by the attacks?"

Odette inhaled sharply, her emeralds traveling to each gobsmacked and confused Slytherin. They had already proven themselves trustworthy and Divus was adamant over the fact that they would _never_ betray her, that they weren't the typical Slytherins that would throw her under the bus to save their necks. Her features morphed into one of utter solemnity, prompting her six friends to straighten their postures and trade equally solemn looks with one another. Divus trilled in their mental link, soothing her worries and cajoling her that they were to be trusted, spurring her into action.

"This goes in the vault, you got it?" six heads simultaneously bobbed in acquiescence. Instead of verbally informing them, she willed her Slytherin Ladyship ring to appear to them. Six pairs of eyes widened on the emerald ring, a basilisk inscribed into the stone, and they were all rendered speechless. "I am Lady Slytherin. The fact that some charlatan is emulating me and tarnishing Salazar Slytherin's esteemed name, it is an insult to the Noble and most Ancient House of Slytherin. That is why I personally made it my mission to unveil the imposter and punish them severely. It is why the basilisk didn't dare to attack me, for she is my familiar, and I her mistress."

Blaise's indigo orbs burned her, and she could practically hear his mind whirring as he processed the meaning behind her admission, "The Dark Lord is the Heir of Slytherin. It is widely known. The Potters are descendants of Godric Gryffindor, you cannot be accepted as Lady Slytherin unless-"he sucked in a sharp intake of breath and his eyes widened in a mixture of awe and horror. Tracey kept whipping her head from Blaise to Odette and back again, like a never-ending cycle, "Unless, _what_? Mind sharing with the class?!" she huffed impatiently. Daphne and Theo sharply gasped as well, their faces dawning in comprehension.

"Right of Conquest," Theo muttered in a hush, "But, Charlus-"

Odette interrupted him by shaking her head, proving his theory to be incorrect, "I have an eidetic memory, you guys. That Halloween, the night Voldemort attacked Charlus and I at Godric's Hollow – I remember that night vividly. I recall every single thing. Voldemort never approached Charlus. He _never_ did. The second he entered the nursery, he felt my raw power and he showed remorse for having to kill me, but stated that he could not allow a child as powerful as me, to live, posing a threat to his tyranny. He cast the Killing Curse, and somehow, I deflected it. It rebounded and Voldemort left the destroyed nursery as nothing but a wraith. I was magically exhausted, my magic depleted as it needed recharging and I was immediately speculated to being a squib and Charlus was hailed the Boy-Who-Lived," she snorted crudely, "Hailed as a hero for sleeping soundly in his crib."

" _Circe_ ," Daphne gasped, covering her mouth in pure shock. Odette smiled wryly, "Now you see why I kept it a secret. At first, nobody believed me. James and Lily thought I was fabricating a lie so that I could gain their love and attention and steal Charlus' thunder, and I learned to remain quiet. I don't want this getting out, you guys," she warned them.

Draco solemnly nodded, "Promise."

Theo cleared his throat and odd enough, he was wringing his wrist in a sign of nerves, "I've been, I've been keeping something from you, Odette, from all of you. But I, I have no interest in following my father's footsteps and serving the Dark Lord, but I was scared of the consequences of my betrayal-"Odette clasped his hands with hers, giving him the courage to confide in her and the other five, about the conversation he overheard his father having with Pettigrew in his study, before he disembarked to Hogwarts for the start of their second year.

Suffice to say, Odette didn't take the news well – the mere fact that the traitorous, filthy rat who betrayed her family to Voldemort was living the comfortable life as a house pet and was most possible at Hogwarts. …Let's just say, Odette was about to scratch another name from her little black book, and a plan began to formulate in her devious mind.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

"You are early," a cold, menacing voice sneered as the door opened and her useless, good for nothing boyfriend appeared by the doorway, "I do recall my explicit warning that you are banned from returning empty-handed, Adolf!"

In an instant, Adolf Müller was in a kneeling position by her feet, his imploring and sycophantic gaze meeting her unmerciful eyes, "Tima, my beloved, I have succeeded. I spied on the Potter brat like you ordered me to-, I come bearing intelligence. I know of her greatest fear, Tima!"

Septima abruptly lowered herself onto the ground and cupped Adolf's chin before forcing herself into his mind, uncaring that the force of her intrusion had his body writhing in pain. A minute later, she harshly threw him across the room and continued to pace around the room, her face splitting into a sinister smile and she cackled loudly in an unhinged manger that had her minions in the adjoining room shiver in fear.

"That bitch fears two Russian Muggles?" she spat, though the triumph could be acknowledged in her tone, " _Weakling_. My father and I had been bested by a weakling who fears filthy muggles!" she murmured to herself. Nevertheless, it seems that an alliance shall be forged, an alliance to get rid of the Potter brat once and for all, to have her revenge, and once again, free her father from Nurmengard and cause mass destruction. Yes, Pyotr and Pavel shall join her side and together, they will eradicate the brat, and then, she will turn her wand onto them, eliminate them, and enslave the muggle world!

"Adolf!" Septima Vector curtly barked out, "Assemble a team, gather information about Pyotr and Pavel Petrovich, and then share with me your discovery." Only then, will she travel to Russia to form an alliance with Odette Potter's greatest fear.

 **A/N:** **YAY! Done! ... I hope this chapter was to your liking? XD**

 **(1)First of all, translations are down below, and if they are translated incorrectly, I do apologize, but this is the results I received via Google Translate. (2) My Dear Readers may be wondering why Odette didn't just kick Pyotr and Pavel's asses – I am trying to show that Odette may be a cold-blooded, ruthless and lethal assassin, but she is still human, a child, and has a heart. She fears just like everyone else. She isn't exactly an emotionless robot, ya know. Seeing two out of three of her tormentors and nightmares come to life, it triggered feelings that she had been suppressing for over six years. (3)Also, about the whole Petrovich fiasco, for those that wanted Odette to kick some ass, don't worry, their time is coming ;). I already have that confrontation all planned out as it will start off a new plot-twist and new problems to arise, I have the whole thing all planned out, so be patient! ;) (4) To those Asgardian Lovers out there, I added some Asgard Fluff! Did you like it? (5) What's your opinion on the James/Odette confrontation & the Basilisk/Odette confrontation? (6) A small spoiler for next chapter: we will have a scene with Lockhart && a separate scene with our favorite Weasley Twins … it's a surprise. (7) AND, next chapter will be the last for Chamber of Secrets. (8) There was no Lexi, Lee and Bree. Odette won't act out on her vision as it has yet to happen, and there is still time for that, so be patient. (9) To those who had been impatiently waiting for Septima Vector, you can all guess what her future plan is now. Imagine, Grindelwald's spawn teaming up with the Petrovich brothers, hmm… it does sort of have a ring to it, doesn't it? I'll keep you guessing anyways. I know, I know, I am evil. LOL!**

 **R &R.**

 **Old Norse Translations:**

 **Grænn gimsteinn minn – My green gem.**

 **Spýta-eldur – Spit-fire.**

 **Fjársjóður: Treasure.**

 **Russian Translation:**

 **Pochemu ty zdes' - Why are you here.**

 **Malen'kiy ubiytsa – Little killer.**

 **Dorogaya moya – My dear.**

 **Takoye bezobraziye – Such a disgrace.**

 **Spasibo – Thank you.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **Chapter 27:**

The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division was an extra-governmental military counter-terrorism and intelligence agency, tasked with maintaining global security, organized to protect the United States, and later the entire world, from _any_ and _all_ possible threats. It was widely speculated to be the greatest military power on Earth, and with Nick Fury as Director, external threats dwindled greatly, an accomplishment he took great pride in. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most notable milestone, was the induction of Black Widow, a master spy and one of the world's greatest assassins to have graduated from the Red Room. With Hawkeye and Black Widow as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s staunchest agents, everything seemed to be going swimmingly, and Nick Fury was able to breathe a lot easier.

That was, until, the emergence of Shadow Swan. The unknown assassin proved to be an even greater threat than Black Widow had ever been, relinquishing her of the world's greatest assassin title in less than a year. Quickly appearing on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar, Nick sent STRIKE Team Delta after her, to eliminate the threat she posed to global security once and for all. But Shadow Swan ended up being the little girl they had been fruitlessly trying to free from the Red Room's unyielding grip, and the child assassin proved herself a tough nut to crack, for unlike Romanoff, she wasn't a team player and wasted no time in declining the generous proposal to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. in return for her freedom, and life, and a clean slate.

Thus becoming a major thorn in Nick Fury's side.

The previous day, Agent Coulson returned from his latest mission, knackered and frustrated, bearing zero results; all the painstaking efforts were ultimately rather otiose. He had tasked his most trusted Agent and friend to search every single 'Potter' in the United States in hopes they could finally get a lead on Shadow Swan, or at least background information on the assassin. But deep down, Nick knew all their hard work would be ineffective; they stumbled upon Shadow Swan _once_ since she surfaced, and it was only because _she wanted them to_. She planned it. Shadow Swan was an iniquitous manipulator and a shit-hot strategist, and unless she wished to reveal herself to S.H.I.E.L.D., they wouldn't locate her.

Shadow Swan had made Director Fury _very_ desperate.

Which was why he currently stood in front of a quaint house, situated in a seemingly idyllic town he swore, eleven years ago, he would never again step foot in. His one good eye burned a hole through the front door, and, steeling himself, Nick Fury ascended the porch steps and courteously knocked on the front door, unable to delay the inevitable any longer.

The door swung open, stern mahogany orbs narrowing and expression displaying no surprise at his unexpected appearance, none whatsoever. "Nicholas. I was wondering when you'd decide to show your face around here," the woman curtly acknowledged him.

Quelling his nerves and overlooking her obvious resentment of him – not that he expected any less – Nick went straight for the kill, "This isn't a social call, Sheila. I need your help." In response, she pursed her lips in a stern line and held the door open for him, "I expected as much." And Nick couldn't help but inwardly wince at being held in such low esteem by the foreboding woman he never got along with.

"Now," Sheila sharply scrutinized him the moment she joined him in the living room, a tray in hand with freshly made coffee, "What makes you think I'd be willing to lend you… my certain type of help?"

His confidence resurged at that point and he fixed the old matriarch with his good eye; she may despise him and the very soil he walked on, but if there was one thing the Director knew without a doubt about Sheila Bennett, was that she was purely good, an outstanding citizen and a Good Samaritan. Sheila would never turn her back on people in need, not if she could help. And with that in mind, Nick relayed all the gritty details of Shadow Swan, not leaving anything out lest he evoked her ire and his plea for help got turned down.

The more information Nick imparted, the thinner her pursed lips became, culminating with a disapproving glint in her eyes that never bode well.

"If I had anybody else to turn to, I'd be there Sheila. This child- this, this _monster_ , she's made me _very_ desperate. I had my agents scour every nook and cranny for her. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s system and database has never failed us before, forcing us to widen the search manually. Now-"Nick drained the last drop of coffee and leaned forward, "-the only advantage I can think of, is my knowledge regarding your heritage and the existence of witches in the world. I am forced to come to the conclusion that Odette Potter is either a witch, and is using magic to cover her tracks, or… _or_ she has a powerful witch on her side."

Sheila considered the man sitting in front of her, who she utterly loathed, and after a long minute, nodded – her decision made. "I don't like you, Nicholas. You know that. _However_ ," she enunciated, "I am not blindsided by my hatred of you. Personal feelings aside, _you are_ a good man and truthfully, I am able to sleep at night knowing that you are there to protect the country from a certain sort of evil." Elegantly, Sheila stood up and padded over to her bedroom, retrieving the supplies meant to perform a tracking spell. "I assume you have an item that belonged to this assassin?" she inquired upon her return.

"I have a napkin she wrote in. Would that do?" Shadow Swan was excellent in covering her tracks, and in the past five, nearly six years, the napkin she purposely left behind still remained the only connection S.H.I.E.L.D. managed to achieve. Sheila's eyebrows arched upon reading the note, her lips twitching slightly, realizing Shadow Swan had a knack for irritating Nick Fury, and if the situation were any different, Sheila might actually like the girl. "It will do. Since it is in her hand, an essence would be left behind," she informed him.

However, much to Sheila's indignant surprise and Nick's palpable ire, it was an unproductive venture. Shadow Swan still managed to elude them; ten steps ahead of S.H.I.E.L.D. just like Barton and Romanoff predicted upon meeting her.

"She is blocking me," Sheila scowled after concluding her third futile attempt at pinpointing Shadow Swan's location. "You may be correct in your assumption, Nicholas. Either this child is a witch, or has allied herself with one. I am sorry, but it seems even I cannot help you."

It was when Nick stood up to leave, did Sheila address the elephant in the room.

"Are you not going to see her? _Ask about her_? Nothing at all, Nicholas?!" Sheila looked downright intimidating, eyes blazing with contempt. Letting out a dejected sigh, he turned around to confront the foreboding witch, "Abby has my private number. She said she would call if there was an emergency."

Sheila let out a bitter scoff at the mention of her wayward daughter and shot Nick a sardonic smile, "Abby abandoned her daughter _six years ago_ , Nicholas." and the matriarch took great pleasure in observing the impassive mask slip, continuing with relish, "No note, no location, no number, _nothing_. She stole away in the dead of the night, without a word and she hasn't returned to Mystic Falls since, she hasn't even bothered to call. Seems I was wrong all those years ago, you two were a perfect match," she angrily concluded.

"Who's taking care of Bonnie?" Nick demanded, fists clenching at the disclosure. And again, Sheila arched an eyebrow at him, "I am, of course. And Rudy."

Running a hand down his face, Nick ignored the war waging in his head and wrote down the number to his private line on a piece of paper. Wordlessly, he left it on the table and turned to leave, only for his one eye to shutter when Sheila barked out a rebuke in a cold tone. "She's your daughter, Nicholas! She deserves better than two absentee parents!"

One hand on the doorknob, Nick kept his back turned, preferring to not establish eye contact with the furious woman, "Yes. And in order to protect her, I cannot be a part of her life. I have many enemies, Sheila. It is imperative she remains a secret. Enemies that would come after her, use her against me as leverage. Bonnie _does_ deserve better, which is why it is best she continues to believe Hopkins is her father. …Goodbye Sheila. You have my number in case of an emergency."

And with that, Nick Fury, like Abby Bennett, stole away, departing Mystic Falls without another backward glance at the daughter they did not hesitate in abandoning, both of them truly believing, with every fiber of their being, that it was for the best… for Bonnie Bennett's safety.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

Something ailed her husband.

Lucius had been detached from reality for months now, before the children returned for Yuletide. If Narcissa were to pinpoint the exact moment Lucius started acting oddly, it was when Draco sent a missive regarding the opening of the Chamber of Secrets.

Currently, Narcissa sat in the sunroom with Bellatrix, having afternoon tea, and while her older sister chattered her ear off about one thing or another, Narcissa's mind was elsewhere, trying to decipher what troubled her husband, who had yet to leave his office in the past two days, except during mealtimes.

" _Cissy_?" Bellatrix snapped her fingers, attempting to garner her younger sister's attention. Narcissa jolted in her seat, blinking at her sister, cheeks slightly flushed at being caught daydreaming. "What is the matter with you?"

With a loud sigh, Narcissa smoothed the skirt of her dress, deciding the best choice was to confide in her sister. "It is Lucius, Bella. He hasn't been himself lately. He spends most of his time sequestered in that office of his. He's had the house-elves in a flurry, ferreting around for _Merlin knows what_! The Manor has been turned inside out, and I am at my wits' end!" she ended in a hysteric note, a handkerchief pressed to her lips in an effort to muffle her sobs.

"Why haven't you confronted him, Cissy?" Bellatrix scowled; now that it had been brought to her attention, Bellatrix was astounded at her oversight, unable to comprehend her failure in discerning Lucius's skittish behavior, the lack of house-elves scurrying around aiming to please their masters' every whim, and her sister's sporadic inattentiveness. Narcissa mirrored Bellatrix's scowl, "You think I haven't tried already?! Every time I do, he dismisses my concerns!"

Huffing, Bellatrix shot up to her feet and dragged her sister alongside her, up the staircase and down the hallway toward Lucius's office. It was not in Bellatrix's nature to remain unaware of important matters, and she didn't tolerate being kept in the dark. Bellatrix was the type to demand answers and loved to be in control, traits Narcissa _apparently_ lacked.

Allowing themselves in without an invitation, the Black sisters found themselves rooted to their spots, sporting similar shell-shocked expressions, unprepared for the unruly sight that met their eyes.

The ostentatiously immaculate office that clearly screamed luxury no longer appeared to be in its compulsive shipshape order, but in utter disarray. The desk, made of Muninga wood obtainable in Southern Africa and meticulously purchased by Nana Malfoy due to its resistance to decay and versatility, was cloaked by heaps of important contracts and spare parchments, cluttered carelessly and coated with a thick film of dust. All artifacts decorating the office were haphazardly piled in one corner; the matching Muninga shelves stripped bare, only occupied by a thick layer of dust building up at rapid speed, along with a few cobwebs. And lastly, the plethora of glossy, well-cared-for books hoarded by generations of Malfoy patriarchs were strewn all over the carpeted floor, an unkempt Lucius Malfoy knee-deep in the clutter, frantically rooting through each book in arm's reach in a frightening manner of utmost desperation.

" _Lucius_!" one of Narcissa's hands pressed against her chest, while the other covered her mouth, cerulean orbs widening at her husband's poor state. Bellatrix found herself rendered speechless, a rarity, unable to contribute to the scenario; even when the Dark Lord was at large, she had _never_ seen the arrogant, polished Malfoy Lord looking so distraught. The wizard in question however, barely spared the shocked intruders a glance, but simply increased his pace in perusing through the stack of books surrounding him, frantically digging a hand through his knotted and greasy platinum hair, its patent luster all but gone.

The pathetic image Lucius made, coupled with the pearly tears cascading down her terrified baby sister's face motivated Bellatrix to collect her bearings and take charge of the problematical situation. After placing a firm, yet comforting hand on Narcissa's shoulder, the dark-haired sister strode toward the mountain of books and yanked the wizard onto his feet, forcing panicked silver-greys to meet her inquiring violets. "Lucius Malfoy! What in Circe's name is the matter with you?!"

The Lord of the Manor jolted from his frenzied state, eyes swiveling from Bellatrix to Narcissa in palpable confusion, "Bella? _Cissa_? What-, when did you-… I didn't hear you come in."

"How could you?" Narcissa snapped out of her emotional turmoil, eyes blazing at her husband, "I will not take any more dismissals out of you Lucius Malfoy! Something is horribly wrong with you! I've kept quiet. I've let it go for _months_ , but it's gone on for far too long. I _demand_ you confide whatever is ailing you!"

Lucius's shoulders slumped in defeat, eyes desperately beseeching the Black sisters as he choked out in a pathetic whimper, expression painted in unadulterated fear, " _It's gone_." More confused than ever, the sisters traded wary glances before their attention returned to the wizard. Covering the distance between her and her husband, Narcissa gently held his hands in both of hers and softly inquired, concern heavily lacing her words, " _What_ is gone?"

"The Diary. The Diary the Dark Lord entrusted with me for safekeeping. _It's gone_."

And while Narcissa remained bemused, Bellatrix understood the magnitude of Lucius's predicament, and it didn't bode well for any of them. Bellatrix's thoughts flashed toward the golden cup the Dark Lord entrusted to her, making a mental note to visit her Vault at Gringotts the moment she departed Malfoy Manor.

"How?" Bellatrix hissed, eyes wildly roaming toward the cluster of books on the ground. Lucius shook his head frantically, "For thirteen years it remained untouched in the bookshelf of this office. I was only alerted to its disappearance once Draco informed me of the Chamber of Secrets opening on Halloween. Dobby knew nothing of it. I can only assume a fellow _ally_ ," he sneered, referring to their fellow Death Eaters he forced himself to keep in contact with, "recognized the Diary and pilfered it when I had my back turned."

Bellatrix sucked in a sharp intake of breath at the correct deduction; it was no secret that the other Death Eaters envied the Malfoys and the Lestranges for their upstanding position in the Wizarding World as well as their esteemed position in the Dark Lord's inner circle, not to mention the unbreakable connection they had with each other and the Zabini Family through marriage.

Narcissa inhaled deeply, immediately tackling the crux of their perilous situation, "Did you have Dobby and the other elves list the identities of those that were given access to your office?"

A partially insulted expression appeared on Lucius's weary visage, "Of course I did, Cissa. The problem however, is I have no clue _when_ the Diary had been taken. Perhaps it was pilfered _years ago_ and only now they decided to plant it at Hogwarts!"

The ruthless, unmerciful expression Bellatrix had discarded long ago reappeared on her face, fists clenched tight enough to draw blood, and a fire was lit in her belly, more dangerous than the flames of Fiendfyre, "Whoever's responsible will not continue unpunished. Nobody dare crosses us without reaping punishment!" Yes… nobody harmed her family and got away with it… _nobody_! Bellatrix Lestrange may have resigned from performing murder and leaving trails of chaos in her wake, but in no terms did she lose her touch or her daunting title amongst all witches and wizards; she was and would always be the violent, ruthless and slightly sadistic witch with a dangerous temper, only fueled by her fierce love and devotion to her family.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

Throughout the years, they punctiliously observed her.

They were present through the many stages of her life; they watched the rejoicing of her birth, how the adults would fuss over her, and the melodious sounds emitted from her whenever she giggled, the infectious cadence impacting them. Then, one night, the circumstances _entirely_ changed; they watched as her presence, and prominently, her birthdays, went ignored by those that were meant to care for her, nurture her, provide her with safety, and love her irrevocably. They silently observed as her brother ganged up with their brother and callously bullied her, and although at times they approached with the full intention of intervening in her defense, the inaction and complete indifference of their respective mothers planted the seed of doubt, making them uncertain regarding the correct course of action to partake. After all, at such a young age, they looked up to their elders, they trusted them to educate them on what is right and what is wrong… _right_?

However, they were rebels by nature and mischief-makers at heart, and even at a young age, they aspired to test limits and their mother's patience; for that particular reason, when they spotted her playing by her lonesome, they moved towards her and offered their company, a vibrant smile blooming at the meager act of kindness. No sooner had they started building blocks, did their respective brothers disrupt them, spouting off cruel words to her, their mother in tow, who, instead of berating her youngest son for acting indecently to the innocent girl, reprimanded them for purposely allowing themselves to be in close proximity of, and entertain, the _Squib_ – the word spat out with such wholehearted disdain, they believed it to be, for the longest time, an obscenity of the worse kind, synonymous to _Mudblood_ , the taboo term in their household.

That night, they scampered into their eldest brother's room and inquired over the definition of a _Squib_. Once their curiosity had been effectively satiated, their confusion skyrocketed; unconsciously observing her throughout the years, they noticed her perform bouts of accidental magic quite a number of times. But, their identically raw and red buttocks encouraged them to keep their mouths shut, not quite ready to receive another round of punishment from their incensed mother.

And then, one day, she was gone. But what shocked them to their very core, was that nobody either cared, or noticed. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Months flew by and it was when they hit the year mark of her unexplained absence, did their perspective change, and they started to regard their elders in a _completely_ different and _unflattering_ light, pushing their innate rebelliousness to the forefront and to increase tenfold.

The years passed, and while everyone failed to recall her existence, they _never_ did. Not even when they disembarked to Hogwarts. Woebegone, almond-shaped emerald eyes haunted their every move, consuming them with guilt as they were now old enough to recognize the neglect, and the appalling behavior meted out against her person.

It was when they congregated with their housemates during their third year for the welcoming feast, did they lay eyes upon her for the first time since her inexplicable disappearance seven years ago; and unlike their peers, they wholeheartedly accepted the fact that she was the first Potter to _ever_ get sorted into Slytherin – for they had a secret of their own, the Sorting Hat found itself torn between sorting them into Gryffindor or Slytherin, but alas, they lacked her bravery and indifference toward the public's expectations, and beseeched the Hat to place them in Gryffindor, allowing them to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors.

Initially, it was an unwitting habit performed through innocent eyes, but as the years progressed, the unconscious habit became purposely administered through curious ones. And so, they curiously observed her day-to-day activities, surrounded by fellow snakes that came from ancient lineages and a background of wielding dark magic. They easily distinguished the disparity between her present self and the little girl that mysteriously disappeared: expressive and innocent emerald eyes were now blank and impassive, eerily lifeless; it was a rarity to discern a genuine smile on her face; she wandered around apathetically, successfully managing to terrify seventh years with her cold gaze, and had an impressive sneer that would give Snape a run for his money. Odette Potter was callous, intimidating, and dispassionate, who surprised all those that believed her to be a Squib by portraying a prodigious talent in magic, her talent unparalleled in regards to her twin brother, the arrogant, Boy-Wonder, Boy-Who-Lived.

Therefore, due to the habit ingrained into their system after years of shamelessly observing her, Fred and George instantly noticed when the impassive ruby-haired witch trained her watchful, calculating gaze onto them, almost in retribution. Whether they were in the Great Hall, or passing each other in the hallways, entrancing emeralds locked on them, as though three magnets collided.

Finally, after nearly three weeks of being on the receiving end of her inquisitive stare, the intimidating second-year approached them, sauntering toward them with panache no twelve-year-old girl should have, radiating an air of apathy as her cold, yet shrewd gaze collided with their identical, warm blues. "Weasley, Weasley," her voice was curt, a far cry from its previous childish glee, and she dipped her head in acknowledgement before confidently eyeballing them. "I have a proposition to make, one that could prove quite beneficial and immensely _profitable_ in the long-run. Are you interested in hearing me out?" vague, blunt, and straight to the point, which greatly amused the mischievous twins.

Leaning casually against the wall, Fred smirked down at her, not at all disconcerted by her flinty stare, "What, no hello?"

"How are you doing?" George supplied.

"Is the weather to your liking?"

"I'd like to have a word with you-"

"Alright, _alright_! Knock it off you two," Odette abruptly interjected, pinching the bridge of her nose with a thumb and forefinger and desperately trying to squash the bubble of amusement at their playful banter and twin telepathy. "Hello. I'm just _swell_ -" she sarcastically drawled out, prompting identical cheeky smirks out of the twins, "-I don't give a shit about the weather, and we need to talk. _Happy_?" she crossly placed both hands on her hips.

George chuckled, his baby blues shining with mirth, and he mockingly bowed, displaying a certain flair for the dramatic, "What can we do for you, m'lady?"

"Like I said," Odette dared them to interrupt with their usual quips she heard so much about, "I have an offer to make, one that I thought long and hard about. I'd like to start an alliance with you rapscallions. I promise that if you accept such a venture, it would only end fruitfully. What do you say?"

Yet two other discrepancies the twins noticed; she had an exotic accent, a mixture they couldn't put their finger on, and had quite an impressive vocabulary in her repertoire that made her appear mature for her age.

Fred scrutinized her closely, eyes roving her impassive visage, "Depends really."

"Why come to us?" George curiously inquired; they may not share the same bigotry toward Slytherins, but their interactions with unsavory few – Flint, Warrington, Rowle and Macnair came to mind – taught them to practice caution, especially when making deals with the cunning individuals.

She examined her nails, portraying utter nonchalance, but internally, Odette was debating how much she should reveal.

"I have an eidetic memory, you know? Unlike your harpy of a mother… no offense," her eyes flickered between the two, not sounding apologetic in the least, the words merely a formality which shouldn't amuse the twins, but it did. "That brother of yours who constantly walks around with a stick up his ass, the complete sloth with abysmal manners and the future Mrs. Boy-Wonder," that was definitely an appropriate jab toward Ginny Weasley, "I remember that simple act of kindness you two bestowed upon me when I was three. But… that's not the point," she solemnly gazed at them, the twins taken aback by her brilliant memory and astounding confidence to insult members of their family right to their faces. "Contrary to popular belief, you two aren't as dumb as you make yourself out to be. You have a brilliant mind, are a mischievous pair to boot, and what I truly respect the most, you have ambition. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you two plan to open up a joke shop once you've graduated, am I right?"

The twins were perceptibly gaping at her now, eyes widening in surprise and unadulterated shock.

"How did you-"

" _Know_? I have my ways," Odette waved a hand in dismissal, "That's not important. What _is_ important however, is that your mother would never allow you to, and you lack a financial backer for your ingenious venture, especially when you have Zonko's to compete with. If you are to accept my offer of alliance, I would _give_ you the money, not _loan_. _Give_. For everything! Construction, supplies, ingredients… at least until you're able to stand on your own two feet. And if you want to branch out to different wizarding districts all over the world, I'd invest in you."

Floundering, George managed to eloquently string a few words together to formulate a semi-coherent response, "Y-you want to _give us_ money. Just like that? No strings attached-"

"No ultimatums-"

"No devious schemes?"

"And you'll settle for being an investor?"

"We don't buy it. Nobody's _that_ generous," George concluded, skepticism _clearly_ coloring his features.

"Besides, no offense," and Fred genuinely meant it, "But your parents don't strike me as the time to give you allowance or your own trust vault-"

"I have my ways, Weasley," surprising the twins, Odette didn't even bat an eyelash, not the least bit affected by the honest, yet brutal observation that her parents didn't give two shits about her, making her appear ten feet tall to them. "Maybe one day, if our alliance grows to friendship," something Odette truly doubted, the possibility of making more friends not enticing _at all_ , "I'll share some of my secrets. But its _quid pro quo_ , Weasleys. I _promise_ I won't force you to partake in an act you'd prefer to avoid, however… I do reward those that provide me good service. Think of it like… a bonus payment."

Fred and George's gaze collided, no doubt communicating via their twin-telepathy they were famous for. A few seconds later, two identical hands extended, thrust in her face and with matching mischievous, Cheshire grins that would have any normal person running the opposite direction for fear of their sanity, intoned, " _Deal_!"

Shaking their hands, Odette smirked at her success and without further ado, gave the twins their first mission. The alliance would be _very_ beneficial for her, and besides… Loki had been incessantly badgering her to introduce him to the two mini-tricksters that worshiped and idolized him, just like the Marauders did once upon a time during their youth.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

True to their reputation that would make the Norse God of Mischief and Lies proud, Fred and George succeeded a couple of days after they formed an alliance.

 _The mission?_

Snatch that Diary Nott Sr. had that gormless, fetid pustule plant in Ginny Weasley's possession.

Odette could've easily pilfered the accursed diary from the mindless, bootlicking, sycophantic, Boy-Who-Lived fan with not a hair out of place, therefore swiftly accomplishing her task, but Odette felt it was crucial to test the twins, and see how far their loyalty lay. Fred and George, while immensely curious and a touch suspicious, didn't question her motives and rapidly carried out their mission, gaining Odette's favor and allowing her trust in them to mount a smidge.

Once the Diary fell into her possession, her entire form was consumed with darkness, almost to the point that it suffocated her with its sheer intensity, and Divus' shrieks vibrated loudly in her head, warning her mistress to keep it _far_ out of reach. Odette didn't need to be told twice; due to her bond with magic and her ongoing training in nature magic with Frigga, Odette knew it to be vile magic, one of evil intent that could effortlessly seduce its possessor into executing its nefarious biding. One had to wonder how the daft chit failed to sense the alarming, malicious power the innocuous-looking Diary possessed.

 _And they accused her of being a Squib!_

The moment Odette acquired the Diary, she sent a missive to Ragnok via her faithful daemonion phoenix, informing the head goblin that a meeting must take place at his earliest convenience to discuss a delicate matter of high importance. Perhaps the sagacious goblin discerned her distress by way of the simple piece of parchment, or perhaps it was her venerated title as goblin-friend, Ragnok sent a response post-haste, scheduling their meeting to take place in the next hour.

Knowing her absence wouldn't be noticed as it was a Saturday, Odette bid adieu to her friends, hid behind an alcove, transformed her appearance with her nifty metamorphmagus ability, and shadow-traveled to an isolated alleyway behind Gringotts bank.

A minute later, Odette sat in the customary chair in front of Ragnok, and not bothering to exchange any pleasantries, tossed the noxious object onto the goblin's pristine desk.

The reaction was immediate; black pupils dilated from within slanted eyes that became unusually round, and the head goblin who took immense pride in his poker face, portrayed an amalgamated expression of absolute shock, disgust and fury, and holes were indented on the table due to his sharp nails.

" _From where did you procure such profound perversion_?!" he boomed, slamming a fist hard onto the tabletop, the nuance echoing forebodingly. Although deeply unsettled by, not only Ragnok's vast change in demeanor when addressing her, but his stark reaction toward the book, Odette merely arched a crimson brow, radiating utmost indifference, "Calm your horses, Ragnok. What on earth is the matter with you?"

Inhaling and exhaling sharp lungful of oxygen from the room, Ragnok dragged a hand down his dome-shaped face and scrutinized the powerful assassin with eyes that regained its normal shape, "You mean to tell me, you do not _know_ what evil is in your midst?"

Odette rolled her eyes. "If I knew, I wouldn't be here now, would I?" she snapped rhetorically, bored with the histrionics. Ragnok leaned forward, his fingers steepled and his gaze penetrating, silently urging Odette to elucidate. "I've had quite an exciting month, friend. Alliances were made, truths were told, stories were spun, yada yada yada. Apparently, the Weasleys are the perfect target to house certain evil." Ragnok's expression softened, eyes shining with fascination whilst Odette divulged her discoveries. "I have formed close bonds of friendship with a few Slytherins in my year, one of them Theodore Nott, and according to him, he overheard his Daddy Dearest order the traitorous Pettigrew – who by the way has been masquerading as _Scabbers_ the youngest Weasley boy's pet rat for the past eleven years – to pinch that diary from Malfoy Manor, who then proceeded to bury it in the Weasley girl's belongings. _That thing_ -" she sneered, pointing an accusing finger toward the untouched Diary that lay between them, "-is the reason behind the entire Chamber of Secrets debacle and the _besmirching_ of the Slytherin name!"

There was a beat of silence following Odette's heated ranter. While she aggressively drummed her fingers on the desk, Ragnok quizzically gazed at the Diary.

"If you were not a goblin-friend, you would have faced instant execution for allowing such _evil_ to penetrate a goblin dwelling," Ragnok neutrally imparted, as though decapitation or defenestration or whatever creative death penalty goblins meted out were tantamount to casual conversations regarding the weather. Odette simply smirked, not bothered by the macabre topic. "I'd have liked to see you try and dispatch me, Ragnok," she chided, facetiously.

One thing they had in common was their dark humor, prompting a smirk out of Ragnok. Hovering over the Diary, he let out a deep exhalation of breath before piercing the notorious assassin with an intensive gaze, "Goblin-friend, do you know what a _Horcrux_ is?"

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

 _Do you know what a Horcrux is?_

 _Horcrux._

 _Forbidden magic… of the vilest and blackest magicks…_

 _A Horcux? ... The wickedest of magical inventions…_

 _A vessel where a fragment soul is hidden for the purpose of attaining immortality… A soul could be split more than once… Horcruxes can only be created after committing murder, the supreme act of evil…_

 _Murder…supreme act of evil…!_

Odette's informative summit with Ragnok continued to plague her mind like a broken record. That, in no terms meant she felt remorse for the many lives she snuffed out, or that she would call it quits regarding her profession as an assassin; she only felt remorse for one life she had been forced to take… only one… _Zelda_.

Shadow Swan shall prevail. But her status as a cold-blooded assassin didn't automatically imply Odette wasn't appalled by such iniquitous exploits partaken.

Rapists. Pedophiles. Such acts were taboo in respects to Shadow Swan. Ripping apart one's soul, that was one other.

Her mind was at ease though, once Ragnok immediately informed her that a ritual was obligated to make a Horcrux, and not just an act of murder. There were lines that even Shadow Swan would _never_ toe. No… what ailed Odette was that Voldemort seemed to have made a Horcrux, and if Ragnok's assumptions were correct, which they almost always were, then Voldemort made _more_ than one… because according to a copy of the Slytherin tapestry Ragnok showed her, Tom M. Riddle was Voldemort… a hypocritical half-blood to boot...

" _Odette_! Hellooo?"

The ruby-haired witch was jolted out of her reverie, eyes narrowed at Tracey, who looked entirely unapologetic. Currently, the seven Slytherins were congregated in Charms class, and Odette had successfully cast a Freezing Charm ( _Immobulus_ ) on her first try. Shrugging, Odette's gaze flickered between her six friends, all of whom were gazing back at her in masked concern.

"You were saying something?" Odette sighed, repeating the incantation on her bullfrog as it fought through her charm. Aaron merely shook his head in amusement, too used to the redhead's apathy toward her surroundings, " _I_ was talking about the Easter break. My parents asked me to invite you over."

While her expression remained unaffected, her insides froze at the invite – pun unintended. The thought of spending a week at Lestrange Manor was tempting, especially since Odette – believe it or not – _adored_ her friends' parents; however, a part of Odette knew that Rodolphus or Rabastan would inquire about the discerned lie she quickly strung together regarding her suspicious confrontation with the Petrovich brothers, and fabricating an excuse had completely slipped her mind.

Before Odette could offer a vague response to Aaron's thoughtful invitation, she was sucked into an unanticipated premonition;

" _Ahh, Miss Lestrange, you're early, come in, come in," Lockhart donned his most ridiculous smile, flashing a full set of blinding white teeth, his sapphire eyes intently watching as Rhea meekly stepped into his office and softly shut the door behind her petite frame._

 _Jovially, the smile not cracking an inch from his rosy complexion, the Professor flicked his wand, an audible click resounding in the room, the telltale sign of the door being locked. Extending his hand out, palm open, he grinned over her, "Wands away, Miss Lestrange. Come along, there's a good girl," he cooed, pocketing Rhea's wand and patting it from the outside, "Now you'll be getting that back after you've completed your detention."_

" _Y-Yes sir," Rhea obediently bobbed her head, neck craned upward to establish eye contact with the merry wizard._

 _Without tearing his gaze from her, Lockhart took a few step backwards and parked one ass cheek on the table, ankles crossed casually as he inspected Rhea, black pupil dilating as he raked her undeveloped form. "You're such a pretty girl, do you know that?" his voice sounded husky, all joviality dissipated._

" _S-Sir?" she squeaked, innocent indigo eyes widening in genuine confusion and mild fear._

" _A pretty girl," he sighed, tapping the tip of his wand against his lower lip, "Of course, you're quite young. Only eleven. But a few years from now… yes, yes, I can only imagine such robust beauty. You are part Italian after all, and they do have such perfect genes. I find myself… lacking the patience."_

 _Rhea had already begun taking a few subtle steps backwards, trying to cover the distance to the door. Lockhart shook his head in disappointment, "It's useless to run, my dear. Now," he pushed himself from the table, twirling his wand around his fingers, a lecherous grin on his face that screamed perversion, "We can either do this the_ _ **easy**_ _way, or we can do it the hard way. Take. Off. Your. Robes._ "

" _No!_ " _Rhea adamantly squeaked out; docile she may be, but she was a Lestrange and a Zabini, and she was powerful in her own right, with integrity._

" _The hard way then," Lockhart sighed, genuinely disappointed in her choice._

 _Without further ado, he flicked his wand again, vanishing every article that covered her skin. With an '_ _ **eep**_ _', Rhea shivered and tried to the best of her ability to cover herself up, to no avail. Strong hands firmly grabbed her forearms, pulling them apart from covering her body from his randy gaze and he harshly tugged her toward him, lifting her fragile form onto his table, ignoring her litany of pleas and heartbreaking wails._

 _He remained robed, but let his tongue do all the work, tasting every sliver of skin before his face hovered over her tear-stained one, "Don't you cry my beauty, I don't penetrate underage girls. If you were in your sixth or seventh year I would have taken you by force."_

 _But Rhea didn't feel the least bit better and once he was done tasting all she had to offer for an eleven-year-old girl, her clothes reappeared and she found herself staring cross-eyed at the end of his wand, "Sorry my dear, I cannot risk you blabbing to the Headmaster or your family," here he perceptibly shivered, not wanting to imagine what the fearsome Lestrange brothers or the ruthless Bellatrix Lestrange would do to him if they ever found out, "But don't worry, if there's one thing I pride myself on, it's my Memory Charms."_

" _N-No-"Rhea pitifully sobbed out, trying to escape the path of his wand._

" _ **Obliviate**_ _!"_

 _Tearful eyes, pupils widened in fear turned vacant, and Rhea's hurt expression morphed into bemusement. Shaking her head in bewilderment, Rhea politely grabbed her offered wand and left Lockhart's office without a word._

 _Chuckling darkly to himself, Lockhart peered into his drawer and ticked off Rhea Lestrange's name from the roster with the title:_ _ **Detentions**_ _, his quill pausing by the name underneath: Astoria Greengrass._

" _Odette_?"

This time, the ruby-haired witch found herself being bodily shaken by her six friends and she released a sharp intake of breath, emerald eyes glowing in malice and her fists clenched hard enough to draw blood.

"You were daydreaming again," Draco drawled, silver-grey orbs torn between amusement and concern. Daphne adamantly shook her head, "No, that's not it. It was different this time. Dee, you looked like you were trapped in some hypnotic state or something."

The All-Father, Odin, had indeed been tutoring Odette on how to subtly receive visions without grabbing any unwanted attention, but it was still a lesson in progress. The long visions were harder to conceal from her peers.

Maintaining a casual disposition, Odette shrugged and said, "Hey, you guys ever got a detention from Lockhart?"

"And the reward for the best non sequitur goes _tooooo_ …" Blaise smirked, his gaiety infecting Aaron, Draco and Tracey.

Odette's glare was positively frightening, "I'm serious, Blaise!"

"A lot," Daphne solemnly replied. Out of the six friends, Daphne and Theo were more attuned to Odette's erratic mood swings, and therefore, the icy Slytherin could tell that Blaise's complete levity greatly irked the redhead. "You wouldn't expect it. That pillock seems to be the most laidback professor from the bunch," Daphne continued as the seven Slytherins began packing their belongings and walked down the hallway for lunch at the Great Hall.

Butting into the conversation, Aaron obliviously threw in, "In fact, just yesterday afternoon when you disappeared _as usual_ ," he muttered under his breath, flashing an unamused Odette a cheeky grin, "Rhea was complaining about her detention tonight with that fraud, all because she failed his ridiculous quiz regarding his personal preferences. I'm honestly thinking of writing to Mum, she'd rain her wrath upon him."

Sinister smiles of glee materialized on the seven Slytherins' faces at the mere thought of Bellatrix Lestrange tearing Gilderoy Lockhart into confetti.

"Don't get my hopes up, Aaron," Tracey mumbled dejectedly.

It happened while they all sat down around each other for lunch at the Slytherin table. Halfway through the appetizing meal, Astoria approached them, frothing at the mouth as she reported the unfair detention Lockhart gave her for the next night. No sooner had those words left Astoria's lips, did Odette Potter drop the utensils from her hand, and storm out of the Great Hall, plans on how to exterminate the rodent formulating in her mind.

 *****THE FORGOTTEN POTTER*****

"I WANT TO STRANGLE HIM AND WATCH THE LIGHT LEAVE HIS DISGUSTING, PERVERTED EYES!" Odette bellowed. She had been pacing around the room in furious little circles like a psychotic hamster on a wheel, and Lexi was certain the redhead was a few seconds away from breathing fire. "NO, NO, YOU KNOW WHAT? DEATH IS TOO GOOD FOR HIM, HE DESERVES WORSE!"

Lee walked in just then, a mug of steaming hot chocolate in his hand in an effort to appease the _furious_ redhead; it was a miracle she hadn't lost her voice yet after one hour of uninterrupted yelling.

"Okay, pause, Dee, _pause_ before you have a conniption fit or worse, suffer through a self-inflicted aneurysm. You obviously did something about this perv, right?" Lexi, ever the voice of reason, and the only person on Earth that had the miraculous ability to calm down the raging inferno.

Absently pecking Lee's cheek in gratitude, Odette clasped both hands around the mug, soaking up the warmth it provided, her gaze flickering between the calming brown orbs that held a certain fire underneath in regards to the news recently imparted, and Lee who looked equally furious yet held a good grip on the rage that yearned to be unleashed on the despicable, lecherous man that took advantage of defenseless kids. "Yeah, yeah, 'course I did. Who do you take me for? I'm _Shadow Swan_ , remember?" Odette rhetorically spat out before imbibing a hearty amount of the tasty liquid.

 _God, she loved chocolate._

"What did you do?" Lee curiously inquired, leaning forward in anticipation.

"Last night, before Rhea's detention took place, I placed a compulsion charm on him to hand over his resignation and leave the castle," upon seeing Lexi and Lee's identical gobsmacked expression in regards to her leniency, she aggressively rolled her eyes, and enunciated, "Uh, hello? Again… may I remind you that I'm _Shadow Swan_! He's not getting off that easy. I can't just murder him on Hogwarts ground, that'll attract too much attention."

Lexi nodded in understanding, but before she could get in a few words, Odette started rambling again, "But it gets better. Who did Dumbledore employ to cover Defence Against the Dark Arts classes until the end of the year? I'll tell you who! _Remus fucking Lupin_ , that's fucking who! I hate that guy! I mean, aren't I suffering enough with James and Lily constantly nearby trying to gain my attention? No. Now I've Lupin! The insufferable woe-me, why-me, werewolf!"

Yeah, it was safe to assume that Odette Potter hated yet another member of the Marauders. The hypocritical jackass that only paid attention to his precious godson, the Boy-Wonder.

"We've got news that I guarantee would turn your frown upside down," Lee smirked, always finding amusement in Odette's rapid mood swings and the colorful language she used.

Slumping on the couch between the vampire lovebirds, Odette tucked the mug of hot chocolate close to her chest and grumbled with a pout, "Somehow I doubt it, but go ahead. Give it your best shot."

Grinning widely, Lexi rotated her body to better face the redhead and gauge her reaction, "This morning, we got a call from that S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent we compelled years ago."

Alright, Odette's attention was waxed, excited emeralds flickering from Lexi to Lee in unveiled curiosity, " _And…_?!"

"And," Lexi chirped out, jumping giddily in her seat, "That Director guy had agents scouring Russia, Germany, and America for any Potters, hoping they'd find you or a relative of yours and gain background information."

"Obviously they failed," Lee needlessly added. The two vampires got a real kick out of watching deftly trained and highly experienced agents from a prominent government agency that dealt with terrorists and all kind of baddies get manipulated by a young girl ever since the age of seven, culminating to them running around like a gaggle of geese with their heads chopped off and no closer to identifying a simple child's background.

Odette smirked sinisterly; her eyes alight with humor, " _Obviously…_ So what's next in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s agenda?"

"According to the Agent, they're broadening their search. Divide and conquer. One squadron will search through Italy, another Spain and the third… _dum-darada-radum_ ," Lexi childishly sang, throwing her hands into the air, " _England_!"

And again… a new plot formulated in Odette's head. She truly did enjoy messing around with S.H.I.E.L.D. and her latest scheme will be a doozy.

 **A/N:** **I apologize for the long delay! I hope this chapter made up for it and was to your liking?! XD**

 **(1) So the first scene with Fury… did you expect** _ **that**_ **? :O… honestly, it was never the plan, but the idea popped in my head a few days ago and I'm like:** _ **oh why not**_ **, and I integrated by plot around that plot-twister. Also… to those confused regarding Sheila's failed spell… you remember when Odette first ran into Thor and Loki after her stint at the Red Room, she and Bree pooled their own brand of magic to cloak her from Heimdall and all sorts of tracking charms? So yeah… it was referred to in the first scene with Sheila and Fury (I honestly adore Nick Fury and I'm gonna have a lot of fun with him!). (2) I am sorry that there was no scene in Asgard, or with Loki, but there was no scene to add for them. I'll try and have an Asgardian scene next chapter, but I make no promises.** _ **Don't hate me**_ **! LOL. (3) As you can see, from this chapter on, there will be more scenes of the Marvel characters, and next chapter I gotta a little surprise for y'all… a pressie! XD (4) About Lockhart… So yeah… don't worry, plans of his assassination will be shown in the next few chapters. He'll get what's coming to him. (4) And as promised… Fred and George made their first debut. They will be recurring characters! I just adore those twins, don't you?! (5) Naturally, I added the part where Lucius noticed his book is missing, and that issue will be stressed upon next chapter. (6) I didn't mention it in this chapter (though it will be mentioned in the next one) but Odette had the Diary returned to Ginny for the sake of her plan. It will be revealed next chapter. (7) Odette found out about Voldemort's Horcruxes early on… I have the entire plotline regarding the Horcruxes already mapped out and I cannot wait! XD (8) Enough blathering from me… next chapter will be the end of Chamber of Secrets and Odette's summertime! Cannot wait! XD**

 **R &R.**


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